FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Ron Boerger]

DPU's Chris Scarver gets an INT off a deflection and returns it to the Trinity 25.  End of the third quarter.

[Ron Boerger]

Doesn't take long - Nick Etzcorn scores on a 15-yard fade, two point conversion is no good, with 13:49 left it's 31-26 Trinity.

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity comes right back, converting a couple of third downs with the last being a 20-yard pass on third-and-seven from Wilson to Al Furlow.  7 play, 68 yards, but not a lot of time off the clock.   After the PAT, Trinity leads 38-26.  10:15 remaining.   

First play from scrimmage, Dick under pressure, hit, ball pops up in air, picked off by Chris Collier and returned to the DPU seven.

Trinity then fumbles on a quick-snap attempt and DPU takes back over at the DPU 2.

After two incomplete passes, Dick's deep pass is picked off, Trinity ball at the DPU 40.

[Ron Boerger]

Chris Coleman gets his second TD of the day on a Wilson pass from nine yards out, PAT good; Trinity leads 45-26, 4:19 remaining.

[Ron Boerger]

Depauw goes to the hurryup, and on fourth down Dick finds Nick Etzcorn again from nine yards out.  The two point conversion attempt is no good,  2:09 remaining, it's Trinity 45, DPU 32. 

Trinity recovers the onside kick attempt.

[KentATM]

unless my dyslexia got the best of me it seems that this is the first time AC has scored at least 30 points in a game 3 straight times since 1999. 

oh and as for being maybe a little negative this last week about our wins, well...  we haven't beat anyone with a winning record yet.

HOWEVER, I am thrilled we are actually beating the lesser squads unlike in previous years.  Just wish they wouldn't have dropped that SWA game b/c they clearly are not very good this year.

So yea, it seems Gage still has them on the right track which is excellent and I really do think it will help the schools sports moral to have a football team thats not constantly getting thrashed (this is Texas after all) and that can at the least play .500 ball. 

There is only so much a good womens volleyball program can do ya know?

[coachhaack]

Had to qet a quick download on the final score from my wife via phone when the TX tigers had about two minutes left to claim the game in San Antonio.

Well done TU Tigers.  I kind of got caught up on the action through all your posts...thanks for those. 

Let the nay sayers talk about the points given up, but I tell you, it takes a tough kid to keep playing in the face of adversity and to keep punching in the later rounds after the shots the Indiana Tigers got in.  Again I say, well done against a good opponent.

Good job!  I miss you guys!

[DPU3619]

Well, DePauw sure didn't play well enough to win today, but they got no help from Trinity's clock operator.

They ran the play clock AND the game clock EVERY SINGLE TIME after the official whistled the ball ready for play following an incomplete pass.  For example, here's DPU's 2nd to last drive of the game (emphasis mine):

D 1-10 D02   DEPAUW UNIVERSITY drive start at 09:36.
  D 1-10 D02   18-Spud Dick pass incomplete to 1-Bryan Mulligan.
  D 2-10 D02   18-Spud Dick pass incomplete to 88-Nick Etzcorn, dropped pass.
  D 3-10 D02   18-Spud Dick pass intercepted by 6-Bobby Adamson at the DEPAUW36, 6-Bobby
               Adamson return 6 yards to the DEPAUW30, out-of-bounds (1-Bryan Mulligan),
               PENALTY TRINITY IB 10 yards to the DEPAUW40, 1st and 10, TRINITY ball
               on DEPAUW40.
--------------- 3 plays, 0 yards, TOP 01:16 ---------------


1:16! For 2 incompletions and a pick!  Are you kidding?  There's half a dozen more just like that one.  3 and 4 play drives with 2 incompletions taking almost 2 minutes of clock or more.  Please, allow me to cite for you (from Rule 3.2 from the NCAA Handbook) the COMPLETE list of times it is appropriate to start the game clock when the official whistles the ball ready for play:

When the clock has been stopped for any of the following incidents, it
will start on the signal by the referee (S20) (A.R. 7-3-2-I and A.R. 7-3-7-
II):

1. When Team A is awarded a first down either by penalty or as the
result of the play (Exception: After a legal kick down).

2. For a referee’s timeout for an injured player or official, or when the
runner’s helmet comes completely off, or for an extended timeout for
radio or television.

3. At the referee’s discretion (Rules 3-2-2-c and 3-4-3) (A.R. 3-3-2-IIIV).

4. To complete a penalty (Exception: After a delay foul by Team A
while in scrimmage-kick formation).

5. For an inadvertent whistle (Exception: During a legal kick).

6. For a head coach’s conference or challenge.

7. For a sideline warning.

8. For an illegal pass to conserve time (A.R. 7-3-2-II-VIII).

9. For a measurement.

10. For a live ball in an official’s possession.

11. For a fumble out of bounds in advance of the spot of the fumble
anytime during the game (Rule 3-2-5-a).

12. When a ball carrier, a fumble or a backward pass goes out of bounds
(Exception: Within the last two minutes of each half, the clock starts
on the snap unless incidents 8 or 11 above occur.) (A.R. 3-2-5-V).

13. When the referee interrupts the 40/25-second count.
b. If the clock was stopped for incidents other than those in 1 through 13
above, it shall be started on the snap.
c. If incidents 1 through 13 occur in conjunction with any other situation
that starts the clock on the snap, the clock will start on the snap.
d. The clock stops at the end of a legal kick down and starts on the snap
(Exception: When the next play is a free kick or a try.).
e. When Team B is awarded a first down and will next snap the ball, the
clock will be stopped and will start on the snap.

You know what's not on that list?  Surpisingly enough, AN INCOMPLETE PASS.  If it were, nobody would ever spike the football to stop the clock.  Spike is just an incomplete pass, after all.  They'd just start it again when they spotted the ball.

DePauw probably wouldn't have won today's football game either way.  But, you know, it's pretty tough to come from behind when you're playing against what is essentially a running clock. 

That is one of the most appaling displays of ignorance I've witnessed at this level.  Absolutely remarkable.  What an embarassment.  This isn't Pop Warner.  Get your head out of your ass and read the god damn rulebook.

[DPULefty22]

Officiating improprieties in San Antonio? Surely you jest.

Hat tip to the DPU offense - you hang up 32 on Trinity at their place, you've done something. But it would appear that the inexperience in the secondary that DPU is dealing with this year is really hurting them against the top tier passing attacks in the conference, and the injuries in the backfield have really made DPU's offense too one-dimensional to stay on the field long enough against the conference's top tier defenses. Not that that one dimension isn't pretty damn good, but I wonder if things might have been different had Trinity been forced at any time to respect the run.

[D3_DPUFan]

LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR----THE OFFICIALS DID NOT DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME...TRINITY DESERVED THE VICTORY...

But having said that...the officiating was EMBARRASSING...the crew neither had a grasp of the rules  OR the game itself...I have seen better officiating in middle school games...If they even sniff another college game it would be a travesty....and to be very honest it was not much better two years ago when we were in San Antonio...hmmm,  same officials???

THAT WAS A DISGRACE....

[D3_DPUFan]

...and by the way, Wes...THAT was a GREAT post!!!

[DPU3619]

THE OFFICIALS DID NOT DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME...TRINITY DESERVED THE VICTORY...

I would argue that those two things are not the same.  I will say without doubt that Trinity played the better 60 minutes (running or not) and should have won the football game. 

But, I don't think I can say that the outcome would have been indentical if all of those approximately 20 seconds wouldn't have been taken off the clock.  We just don't know what would have happened if there was another couple of minutes to play with.  I would estimate that Trinity probably wins, but I just don't know that. 

Say you play out that game with correct clock operation 100 times, does Trinity win every single time?  If there's even a shadow of a doubt that DePauw wins at least 1 time, then this was a horrible injustice.

[TXMike]

It would have been a lot more than 20 seconds since that happened on every incomplete pass. 

(Course who knows what would have happened since it would have meant more game time for TU as well) 

I know the situation in San Antonio but I am told it is similar in most if not all SCAC schools since the schools (and not the conference) gets the officials.

[DPU3619]

I won't speak for every other school, but, as a point of reference, DePauw's officials are assigned by the HCAC.  Also, I said "all of those approximately 20 seconds".  Not exceptional from a grammar standpoint, but I think you get the point.

[wabashcpa]

With both Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Capital losing today, looks like Millsaps should be a good bet to crack the Top 10.

Wes, it seems hard to believe something so elementary would be continually mishandled.  Did the DePauw sideline argue this, and the officials continued to let it go?  The sequence you described should have taken 20 seconds, tops.  That alone was a wasted minute, and if this was a consistent pattern, it's not unthinkable that 5 minutes of game time elapsed in error.  Did this occur for Trinity incomplete passes as well?  The flip side is Trinity was potentially screwed out of some time-of-possession as well, so with the added time either team could have done some damage.