re: 'Member Alabama's Onside Kick?

quote:

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That and if the receiving team has anyone in the area, I'm pretty sure they can call a fair catch.

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They can. If the outside Clemson kick coverage guy had been outside the hashmark, Bama probably doesn't onside it; if he had been in the area he could've called fair catch and the defenders would've had to give him room. If I recall correctly, Bama scouted Clemson and noticed they pretty consistently lined up tight on kick-offs and thought that might be available to 'em...

The reason Dabo went on off on the refs was, in a game earlier that season, Clemson pooched an onside kick and caught it but were penalized for not giving the other team a chance to catch the ball. Difference was there was a defender in the area that signaled fair catch. Trying to read Dabo's lips, looked like he was saying "We didn't have a chance to catch the ball..."