Critical. Hands to face call

[SWC75]

Normally I'd agree about crappy calls but Shafer tossed his hat & headset about 15 yards diagonally from the sideline toward the ref.

The sideline official upfield (and behind SS) threw the flag immediately. Shafer could be seen clearly calling him a MFer while being restrained by Hicks afterward.

That MFer was the same ref who flagged Thompson (2 plays later) after the interception for something that looked fairly benign and common after every play (2 players get up and jaw jack about the outcome).

That was a crappier call - SS deserved a penalty but I supported, and enjoyed, his outburst.

They didn't call it on Shafer. They called it on this guy

 

[Chip]

For the record, I'm pretty good at understanding almost any football penalty, and the underlying reason why some of the rules are in place.

But if someone could throw out a Ineligible Player Down Field 101 course summary for me, I'd love to hear it. Not just the penalty itself, but why it's important to have it. I could go to the google webs, but who knows where that could lead.

 

[TexanMark]

It was worse than borderline. They made the call because our slot receiver (Phillips?) on the side away from the play was covered up. And he was. But as the play unfolded, he only advanced 3 yards down the field. Offensive linemen are allowed that amount downfield, and more, without drawing a flag.

3 yards is allowed at ball release...he also turned sideways...it was really tick-tack as he might have been at worst 3 1/2 yards. I'm tired of these southern drawled refs...the ACC needs to hire some guys from north of the mason-dixon.

 

[TexanMark]

What about the punt return from Estime where he called fair catch, caught it, and then a Clemson player ran up and essentially hit him knocking Estime back 3 or 4 yards. You aren't allowed to make contact with a returner who's made a fair catch and that guy did it right in the face of the official... no flag. That was baffling and it was in the first quarter.

Yeah I can't understand why a 15 yarder wasn't throw there.

 

[KellySyracuse]

They didn't call it on Shafer. They called it on this guy

I love the look on Hopkins face in this picture

 

[hplare]

There was a play, later, after our hand to the face call, where a Clemson defensive player has a hand up inside one of our kid's mask. Of course the play was going around the other side, so the refs must have decided it didn't matter. You can see it if you taped the game. I just wish the ref who announced the bench call didn't have a southern accent.

 

[CIL]

The issue is consistency. There was a play later in the game that led to a Clemson FG where Clemson clearly had a lineman blocking 5 yards downfield on a forward pass. It was obvious because it was right in front of the ref and directly effected the outcome of the play. That has to be called.

 

[upperdeck]

i just wish they had called holding on the 4th down clemson play that led to the FG, speaking of which what are we doing getting an offsides on a Fg that means little , even a block still means we need to scores.

 

[Bayside44]

3 yards is allowed at ball release...he also turned sideways...it was really tick-tack as he might have been at worst 3 1/2 yards. I'm tired of these southern drawled refs...the ACC needs to hire some guys from north of the mason-dixon.

I remember playing Cincy when they were in the hunt with Kelly. The refs flipped the field when they need it done too.

Officiating is terrible everywhere, we have middle aged men chasing after elite athletes. Doesn't make sense on that level.

 

[Oakland]

I think that the refs helped Clemson to a great degree. But on the hand to face call, I wonder if it happened towards the end of the play, away from the QB. On the ESPN3 broadcast, you can see our DE, I think it was Simmons, at the top of the screen put his hand up to the helmut of the Clemson guy. You couldn't tell exactly what happened but maybe the penalty occurred then.

Was a phantom call. I hate acc refs

 

[SWC75]

For the record, I'm pretty good at understanding almost any football penalty, and the underlying reason why some of the rules are in place.

But if someone could throw out a Ineligible Player Down Field 101 course summary for me, I'd love to hear it. Not just the penalty itself, but why it's important to have it. I could go to the google webs, but who knows where that could lead.

I thought the call was "illegal formation".

 

[longtimefan]

I thought the call was "illegal formation".

Covering up a receiver is illegal in the NFL. It isn't always in college. Back when Deleone was running the freeze option, we ran a lot of plays with out TE covered. It's okay as long as the potential receiver does not go down field. Phillips went only about three yards past the line of scrimmage, then turned parallel to the line. Which, to my mind, is legal, and makes the call bogus.

 

[OrangeDW]

None of the penalties that you guys are complaining about were bad calls, Stephen Clark almost ripped a guys face mask off, the said the wrong number, Estime or Philips was supposed to be on the line of scrimmage, Shafer lost his cool, the kid got pushed into Dixon, and Ron Thompson ran his mouth. How about we just say we played a decent game against the number 1 team in the country, penalties didnt lose this game

Thompson ran his mouth? Well then! What is this, t-ball? They could throw flags after every play for that.

 

[rrlbees]

I thought the call was "illegal formation".

That's what we all thought in my area. Illegal formation not illegal man downfield.

 

[PAcuse]

I think that the refs helped Clemson to a great degree. But on the hand to face call, I wonder if it happened towards the end of the play, away from the QB. On the ESPN3 broadcast, you can see our DE, I think it was Simmons, at the top of the screen put his hand up to the helmut of the Clemson guy. You couldn't tell exactly what happened but maybe the penalty occurred then.

They called the wrong number. It was Clark that had his hand under the centers shoulder pad pushing it back toward the centers helmet. Couple of other threads have pictures of it. It was a BS call by the laughing stock of P5 conference refs.

 

[PhatOrange]

The TV announcers said ineligible man down field. It's was total bs as was the hands to the face and even the bench
Call.

 

[OrangeDW]

I'm still not giving up on the idea of robot referees at some point.

 

[rrlbees]

They called the wrong number. It was Clark that had his hand under the centers shoulder pad pushing it back toward the centers helmet. Couple of other threads have pictures of it. It was a BS call by the laughing stock of P5 conference refs.

Actually it was Giudice #79. Those pics make it appear shoulder pads but watching a replay, it looked like hector helmet too.

 

[rrlbees]

The TV announcers said ineligible man down field. It's was total bs as was the hands to the face and even the bench Call.

The announcers may not have been correct.

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

The TV announcers said ineligible man down field. It's was total bs as was the hands to the face and even the bench
Call.

The signal the ref gave was for ineligible man down field but you couldn't hear his explanation in-person or on replay

 

[wolfhound]

Actually it was Giudice #79. Those pics make it appear shoulder pads but watching a replay, it looked like hector helmet too.

Watching the replay Guidice's upper hand is on the Clemson centers upper chest, center rolls his head back due to the bull rush, Guidice's hand never goes to head.
Ref saw head go back and made the assumption of hand to face. Missed call!

 

[storange]

Watching the replay Guidice's upper hand is on the Clemson centers upper chest, center rolls his head back due to the bull rush, Guidice's hand never goes to head.
Ref saw head go back and made the assumption of hand to face. Missed call!

From stop action slow mo ( clicking my remote over and over ) his head is way back but like you said you never see his hands actually go to the face. A huge call that may have cost the game. Team and crowd were flying at that point.

 

[clem_alumn]

 

[TexanMark]

View attachment 53758

The picture above looks inconclusive...can't tell if his hand is under the facemask.
Notice Clark's right foot is in the same spot as this picture (just a microsecond before) and clearly engaged in the shoulder pad.

 

[upperdeck]

formation means wrong number of people on the line, far different than down field blocking. in theory you can have 10 men on the line, doesnt mean they can all go out for a pass though.