Refs missed the call on ‘dribbled’ kick

If a referee blows a call and no one – not coaches or TV analysts or fans of either team playing or bloggers for that matter – notices until hours after the fact…  Is it still a blown call??

Well, actually it is.

In the 2009 CFL rule book, under kicking article five the rules are clearly stated for a “dribbled” ball like what happened near the end of the first half in the Roughriders / Lions game:

A dribbled ball occurs when the ball is kicked while not in possession or control of a player, i.e. a loose ball following a fumble, a blocked kick, a kickoff or a kick from
scrimmage. Such a dribbled ball may be touched by the kicker or an onside player without penalty.

If touched by an offside player:  PENALTY: Ball awarded to opponent at point ball touched, or option.

Replays it clearly showed Lions Safety Jason Arakgi was on the Saskatchewan 51 yard line the moment linebacker James Yurichuk kicked the ball forward at the 49 yard line.  Arakgi then sprinted forward and was the first person to touch the ball at the Saskatchewan 31 yard line.  By rule the ball should have been blown dead because Arakgi was 2 yards offside and it should have been Riders ball 1st and 10.  Instead the call was missed – and maybe even more importantly it was not challenged by Riders coach Ken Miller – and the play stood as it was, a touchdown for the Lions.

The CFL had reportedly called both teams Saturday afternoon to acknowledge that the correct call was missed and it was discussed at length on TSN’s broadcast at halftime of the Bombers/Stampeders game, but the CFL has yet to release an official statement – maybe in hopes that if they don’t bring much attention to it, it’ll blow over.  Although truth be told the CFL and the officials should get a pass for missing that call simply based on the fact it was a very chaotic play and no one that night seemed to catch the small detail of an offside player.

While the Riders and their fans won’t come out and say that it was that blown call that led to their loss, it sure would have changed the complection of the game had it been called correctly.  And much like the horse collar tackle on the Staps Ken-Yon Rambo wasn’t called by officials when it happened, you can be sure the CFL will be paying much closer attention to detail if this kind of situation happens again.

Lions win crazy game that sees a little bit of everything!

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The recap from TSN.ca

The turning point: It’s easily the craziest play you’ll see all season and it’s a play that can only happen in the CFL…  With the Riders up 14-12 with 52 seconds left in the first half and about to get the ball back after a Lions two and out.  Lions kicker Sean Whyte punts the ball from his own 25 yard line but kicks it out of bounds causing a penalty and a re-kick situation.  On the re-kick Saskatchewan kick returner Gerran Walker attempts to field the ball but it hits him in the knee and bounces away.  In the scramble for the ball, Lions linebacker James Yurichuk alertly kicks the ball further down field and keeps it in-bounds.  O’Niel Wilson then sprints ahead of the pack to scoop up the loose ball on a hop and runs into the endzone.  Kicking the ball forward like that is a completely legal play in the CFL and instead of a two point (or more) lead at the half, the Riders are down by seven.

The game ball goes to: Quite a few Lions had great games, but my game ball in this game goes to Barron Miles who made one of the most amazingly athletic plays with perfect timing I’ve ever seen.  The Riders had just scored a touchdown on a Chris Szarka one yard run to bring the Riders within eight points of the Lions.  The Riders were most likely thinking ahead to attempting an onside kick to get the ball back with just less than a minute left on the clock, but on the extra point attempt Miles timed the snap perfectly, leapt over the center and had an easy block to keep the Lions lead at eight.   It was Miles record setting 13th career blocked EP/FG kick.  Granted the Riders failed to recover the following onside kick and the Lions quickly put the game away with yet another TD shortly after, but Miles block turned what would have been an unlikely but still doable situation for the Riders into a near impossible situation.  QB Buck Pierce had a great game, as did running back Martell Mallett with 99 yards rushing and a TD.  Sean Whyte was a perfect four for four on field goal attempts and defensive end Brent Johnson had three sacks and a forced fumble.  For my money though, Miles athletic play on special teams gets the nod from me for game ball.

Random game thoughts: The Riders again played both QBs, although Steven Jyles didn’t see action until about the ten minute mark of the 4th quarter.  Darian Durant went 10 of 19 passing with 189 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs.  Jyles was 7 for 13, 96 yards and 1 INT  …  The game started off as a disaster for the Lions as three of their first four possessions ended in turnovers (two interceptions and a lost fumble)  …  Their play on special teams didn’t start much better either as four of the first five special teams play saw the Lions taking a penalty  …  After a 2 TD and 100+ yard receiving game last week, Riders wideout Chris Getzlaf had only one catch for 13 yards – a catch that came with 13 seconds left in the game  …  Canadian Rob Bagg had a great game for the Riders getting 120 yards receiving off of 5 catches, 2 of them for TDs  …  Jason Clermont in his return to BC as a member of the visiting team caught his first pass early in the 2nd half, a catch that put him over 6000 yards receiving in his career.  The Lions fans gave him a very warm reception with that catch.

Final grades
Riders Offense: C+
Riders Defense: C-
Riders Special Teams: C

Lions Offense: B+
Lions Defense: A
Lions Special Teams: A