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Officials needed to use the chains to measure for a first down in overtime of thew UConn-Notre Dame game?

UConn started the second overtime at the 25 yard line after a Notre Dame FG. The tip of the ball was placed at the edge of the line with the ball in between the 25 and 26 yard lines. On 3rd and 1 from the 16 UConn ran for 1 yard and the ball was placed across the 15 yard line so that the tip of the ball was in between the 14 and 15 yard lines. Officials then brought out the chains to measure.

Unless the Notre Dame 25 yard line is not 10 yards from the 15 yard line, there was no need to measure. It was clear from the placement of the ball that UConn had the first down. Sadly, even the TV commentators missed to fact that a measurement was not needed.

Trying to help notre lame

dbackjon wrote:Trying to help notre lame

A player or a coach may have requested it.

SuperHornet wrote:A player or a coach may have requested it.

Doesn't matter. The ball was spotted at exactly the 25 yard line, and was lying across the 15 yard line. The only was a measurement would have come up short would be if the yard lines or the chains were not exactly 10 yards in length.

There are certain times when a measurment isn't needed and this was one of them. Another more common instance occurs after a touchback; the ball is spotted at the 20 yard line, you should need a measurement to determine if the ball reaches the 30 yard line.

I fully understand your beef. However, the rules don't specify that a reason is required for a player or coach to request a measurement. All it says is that they're allowed to, and the referee is bound to comply, so long as the ball is within a practical amount of the end of the chain (in practice, that usually works out to about a yard or so). Therefore, it gets used as a free time-out.

SuperHornet wrote:I fully understand your beef. However, the rules don't specify that a reason is required for a player or coach to request a measurement. All it says is that they're allowed to, and the referee is bound to comply, so long as the ball is within a practical amount of the end of the chain (in practice, that usually works out to about a yard or so). Therefore, it gets used as a free time-out.

Does that apply for the defense as well? I have never seen the defense ask for a measurement after the refs have ruled that a play has resulted in a first down.

In the case I'm talking about the ref's never ruled first down which they should have since it was clearly over the 15 yard line. The refs should not have needed a measument to determine that the play was indeed a first down.

So what's the big deal about them measuring?
it's not like there aren't all sorts of other unneeded delays in televised football games.

JayJ79 wrote:So what's the big deal about them measuring?
it's not like there aren't all sorts of other unneeded delays in televised football games.

Who said it was a big deal? I was asking a question. Sorry I started a thread on a message board, what was I thinking? Maybe you think they should measure after every play?

BlueHen86 wrote:

JayJ79 wrote:So what's the big deal about them measuring?
it's not like there aren't all sorts of other unneeded delays in televised football games.

Who said it was a big deal? I was asking a question. Sorry I started a thread on a message board, what was I thinking? Maybe you think they should measure after every play?

All I know is I had a Notre Lame fan in my living room and laughed my ASS off at him when UConn scored the TD in OT.

AZGrizFan wrote:

BlueHen86 wrote:
Who said it was a big deal? I was asking a question. Sorry I started a thread on a message board, what was I thinking? Maybe you think they should measure after every play?

All I know is I had a Notre Lame fan in my living room and laughed my ASS off at him when UConn scored the TD in OT.

Yeah, that was sweet.