From Big Red Today, a look at all 16 Penalties
A look at the 16 penalties called against Nebraska on Saturday at Texas A&M, a school record in both number and total yards (145). The impact of some could be considered minimal, while others weighed to the extreme:
Click on the Comments Section for the Breakdown
So most of these penalties were legit but the list of questionable calls would include...
1. Roughing Passer on Osborne
2. Personal Fouls on Martin during Kick Returns
3. PI on Dennard
4. Some people may feel bad for Cotton and his first Personal Foul could have been called offsetting penalties
1. 15-YARD PERSONAL FOUL
ReplyDelete• Culprit: Right guard Ricky Henry
• A replay's interpretation: Moments after whistles blew, Henry tried to block Trent Hunter. Two flags flew in.
• Direct result: Occurred at the end of a 10-yard pass to Rex Burkhead. Left NU with a fourth down and 17 on the 11th play of the game's opening possession.
• Degree of impact: Moderate
NU would have had fourth and 2 from the A&M 11-yard line, and although one can assume that the Huskers would have settled for three points, they had a legitimate option to keep the drive alive.
2. 5-YARD FALSE START
• Culprit: Right tackle D.J. Jones
• A replay's interpretation: Jones flinched after a couple of A&M linemen jumped slightly forward. Keith Williams appeared to move before the snap, too.
• Direct result: Wiped out the perfectly struck, 43-yard field goal attempt by kicker Alex Henery and forced a deeper attempt.
• Degree of impact: Minimal
Henery was unfazed by the fact that his first attempt didn't count. His second try, from 48 yards out, split the uprights, giving NU a 3-0 lead with 8:53 left in the first quarter.
3. 15-YARD PERSONAL FOUL
• Culprit: Tight end Ben Cotton
• A replay's interpretation: All the referees saw was Cotton make two attempts to kick A&M's Tony Jerod-Eddie.
• Direct result: Knocked NU's offense back into its own territory, all the way to its own 36, creating a third and 29 situation.
• Degree of impact: Extreme
Two well-executed Roy Helu runs gave the impression that Nebraska's offense — now under the direction of backup Cody Green — would be able to pound its way downfield, assuming it maintained manageable third-down distances.
4. 15-YARD UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT
• Culprit: Tight end Ben Cotton
• A replay's interpretation: Cotton, presumably upset about the prior penalty, took his helmet off as he walked away from officials.
• Direct result: Backed up the Huskers to their own 21-yard line — 22 yards deeper than the spot their third drive of the game had begun.
• Degree of impact: Extreme
A third down and 44 doesn't happen often, a rarity that seemed to momentarily demoralize the offensive unit while fueling the enthusiasm of the Aggies and their capacity crowd.
5. 5-YARD FALSE START
• Culprit: Right tackle D.J. Jones
• A replay's interpretation: Jones appeared to lift his right foot just before the football was snapped.
• Direct result: Effectively sealed a second consecutive three-and-out for the NU offense early in the second quarter.
• Degree of impact: Moderate
Roy Helu gained 11 yards on a shovel pass, making it all the way to the Nebraska 42-yard line. Had it been fourth and 1 (instead of fourth and 6), the NU coaches might have considered a quarterback sneak.
6. 13-YARD PERSONAL FOUL
• Culprit: Linebacker Eric Martin
• A replay's interpretation: Inconclusive
• Direct result: Essentially wiped out Niles Paul's 15-yard kickoff return, positioning the offense at its own 13.
• Degree of impact: Moderate
Kicking into the wind, Texas A&M should have given Nebraska decent field position to work with. Sophomore Cody Green did connect with Kyler Reed for a 15-yard pass to pull NU away from its own goal line.
7. 10-YARD HOLDING INFRACTION
ReplyDelete• Culprit: Left tackle Jeremiah Sirles
• A replay's interpretation: Sirles was engaged with Lucas Patterson, but didn't let him go, taking him to the turf.
• Direct result: Wiped out a Rex Burkhead run that resulted in zero yards and created a first down and 20 for NU.
• Degree of impact: Minimal
Two plays after standing just a couple yards from his own end zone and finding Kyler Reed, Cody Green made another nice throw on second down. Mike McNeill just got a foot inbounds for a 20-yard gain and a first down.
8. 10-YARD HOLDING INFRACTION
• Culprit: Left guard Keith Williams
• A replay's interpretation: An Aggie defensive tackle appeared to fool Williams, instantly trying to sprint around his right shoulder. Williams took him down.
• Direct result: Took Nebraska out of A&M territory after the late second-quarter drive had begun at the Aggie 49.
• Degree of impact: Moderate
Without the penalty it would have been third and long for NU after Cody Green's second-down pass fell incomplete. As it turned out, Green ended up throwing an interception on the ensuing play.
9. 5-YARD FALSE START
• Culprit: Right tackle Marcel Jones
• A replay's interpretation: Jones moved right before the snap. He knew it, too, clapping his hands in frustration after the play was blown dead.
• Direct result: Took Nebraska out of an ideal second and 6 and forced an assumed passing situation.
• Degree of impact: Moderate
The flag cost the Huskers some unpredictability. Brandon Kinnie caught an 8-yard pass, but Taylor Martinez's third-down throw went incomplete and the first second-half drive ended with a punt.
10. 5-YARD ILLEGAL FORMATION
• Culprit: Offensive unit
• A replay's interpretation: The Huskers were in their Wildcat formation, but they didn't have enough players on the line of scrimmage.
• Direct result: Erased a 10-yard run on third down by Rex Burkhead and backed up the offense again.
• Degree of impact: Minimal
Niles Paul nearly got a first down on the next play, falling inches short. Taylor Martinez then faked a sneak up the middle and lunged around the pile for a crucial, momentum-boosting first down.
11. 2-YARD PASS INTERFERENCE
• Culprit: Safety Courtney Osborne
• A replay's interpretation: Osborne climbed the back of A&M's Bradley Stevens, knocking the intended receiver over.
• Direct result: Nullified an overthrown pass on second down and gave A&M an automatic first down.
• Degree of impact: Moderate
Had no flag been thrown, the Aggies would have faced a third down and 10. It's unlikely they would have kept the drive going. Instead, the possession continued and ultimately ended with a go-ahead field goal.
12. 15-YARD PASS INTERFERENCE
ReplyDelete• Culprit: Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard
• A replay's interpretation: Jeff Fuller had two hands on Dennard, but the Husker cornerback didn't get his head turned around in time.
• Direct result: Rewarded Texas A&M with a first down after its third down pass was incomplete.
• Degree of impact: Considerable
The punt teams would have been on the field had that call not been made. Four plays later, the Aggies were inside the NU 15-yard line. They took the lead with a 28-yard field goal 27 seconds into the fourth quarter.
13. 10-YARD PERSONAL FOUL
• Culprit: Linebacker Eric Martin
• A replay's interpretation: Inconclusive
• Direct result: Backed up the NU offense to its own 10-yard line after the kickoff was down in the end zone.
• Degree of impact: Extreme
Nebraska desperately needed to answer the A&M score, but its sputtering offense suddenly faced an uphill climb. The crowd noise was rising and the wind, blowing into the Huskers' faces, was stiffening.
14. 5-YARD UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT
• Culprit: Coach Bo Pelini
• A replay's interpretation: The NU coach apparently went too far as he argued with side judge Gene Semko.
• Direct result: Moved the ball to the NU 5, a rare starting point for an offense after a kickoff.
• Degree of impact: Moderate
By then, 5 extra yards probably wasn't going to make much of a difference. And considering that on the next play, Rex Burkhead gained 33 yards up the middle, maybe Pelini's penalty was inspiring.
15. 15-YARD ROUGHING THE PASSER
• Culprit: Safety Courtney Osborne
• A replay's interpretation: Just as Ryan Tannehill released the football, a blitzing Osborne delivered a hit on the Aggie QB.
• Direct result: Gave A&M a first down after Tannehill's pass on third down fell incomplete
• Degree of impact: Extreme
The Aggies were going to punt the ball back to Nebraska, but then the infraction was called. It moved the ball to the NU 34-yard line (basically field goal position). Six runs later, A&M's Randy Bullock made the game-winning kick.
16. INTENTIONAL GROUNDING — LOSS OF DOWN
• Culprit: Quarterback Taylor Martinez
• A replay's interpretation: A&M's Von Miller wrapped up Martinez, who tossed a pass downfield just before hitting the turf
• Direct result: Eliminated any momentum gained by NU on the first down it earned a play earlier.
• Degree of impact: Minimal
At that point, the game seemed to be decided, even though time remained and NU needed only a field goal. It was a lot to expect for the offense, which had struggled all night, to mount an effective drive.