Colorado fails to get final play off after troubles with ball spot (Video)
You can’t blame Colorado for having a beef with the officials in the final seconds of the Buffaloes’ loss to Hawaii on Friday morning.
Trailing 28-20, Colorado was desperately driving down the field to score a late touchdown. After a completed pass didn’t net a first down, the clock kept running. So the Buffs had to hurry to the line and snap the ball before time expired to get one more shot at the end zone. One problem. The ball never got spotted. This is why:
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Let’s be blunt; Colorado was likely not going to beat the Warriors anyway. The Buffaloes needed to not only score on the final play but also convert the ensuing two-point conversion – and then win the game in overtime.
A win was a three-step process, and there’s no guarantee that Colorado would have even gotten the snap off if the ball would have been spotted efficiently. Though we’re thinking a final play could have happened. The fumbling of the ball took at least four seconds and the Buffs were at the line of scrimmage as soon as the ball was finally on the ground. It would have been close, but it would have been possible.
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There’s also no optimal solution for a scenario like that, either. While the bumbling around clearly benefited Hawaii, stopping the clock to get everything correct in that type of situation would give Colorado too much of an advantage to get set and snap the ball as soon as officials would wind the clock.
While the loss is a tough one for Colorado, it’s a big one for Hawaii. The Warriors haven’t been to a bowl since the 2010 season and a non-conference win against a Power Five program is a big boost in the quest for six wins.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
