re: The Inadvertent Whistle Call Last Night

I agree there was not an immediate recovery. Mingo obviously stopped playing because the whistle, allowing the Miss. State player easy access to recover the fumble. Without the whistle, the outcome could definitely have been different.

Here is the rule and exception. It says Immediate continuing action. At game speed nothing looked like immediate with that “recovery”.

Live Ball Becomes Dead
ARTICLE 2. a. A live ball becomes a dead ball as provided in the rules or when an official sounds their whistle (even though inadvertently) or otherwise signals the ball dead (A.R. 4-2-1-II and A.R. 4-2-4-I).
b. If an official sounds their whistle inadvertently or otherwise signals the ball
dead during a down (Rules 4-1-3-k, m and n) (A. R. 4-1-2-I-V):
1. When the ball is in player possession, the team in possession may elect to put the ball in play where declared dead or repeat the down.
2. When the ball is loose from a fumble, backward pass or illegal pass, the team in possession may elect to put the ball in play where
possession was lost or repeat the down (Exception: Rule 12-3-3-d).

ARTICLE 3. Reviewable plays involving potential dead balls and loose balls include:
a. Loose ball by a potential passer ruled a fumble.
b. Loose ball by a passer ruled incomplete forward pass when there is clear
recovery or the ball goes out of bounds in the immediate continuing action after the loose ball.
1. If the replay official does not have indisputable video evidence as to
which team recovers, does not have confirmation of the recovery by the officials on the field, or the ball going out of bounds, the ruling of incomplete pass stands.
2. If the replay official rules fumble and the ball is recovered, the ball belongs to the recovering team at the spot of the recovery and any advance is nullified

It’s the same rule that allows for a runner called down by contact to be reviewed and overturned as a fumble. There is a whistle on every one of those plays. As long as there is a clear recovery it goes to the team that recovered the ball regardless of the whistle.

quote:

---

Players stopped including the Ole Miss player who could have recovered it.

---

Then he should have. Ball on the ground you fall on. Then there's no problem. BTW it was a backwards pass even kiffen said so. Not falling on the ball just to be safe is dumb whistle or not

I think they botched the call all the way around. First the early whistle (which wasn’t inadvertent, it was intentional and a bad call). Then, because there wasn’t an immediate recovery, they should not have awarded the ball to MSU. Because MSU gave it back a couple plays later, I don’t think it ultimately impacted the final result of the game.

quote:

---

2. Mississippi State players pick ball up immediately

---

This is the part that didn’t happen and why replay messed it up a second time after the officials messed it up on the field.

quote:

---

If that’s the rule, then you coach players to always go to a loose ball even after a whistle.

---

Every coach from Jr high on does this.

quote:

---

Fumble by Ole Miss. I’m not here to cry wolf. I understand it was a backwards pass. At least it looked like it in real time.

I’m genuinely just curious because I’ve never seen anything like that before.

---

At the very least, it should have an incomplete pass, but initially the on-field ref said no play. If there was a whistle, it came after dude dropped the pass.

quote:

---

It’s the same rule that allows for a runner called down by contact to be reviewed and overturned as a fumble. There is a whistle on every one of those plays. As long as there is a clear recovery it goes to the team that recovered the ball regardless of the whistle.

---

That is the spirit of the rule and when applied correctly makes sense. Last night was applied completely wrong as it was nowhere near an immediate recovery and the whistle clearly impacted the actions of the players surrounding the ball. The refs and SEC office once again disgraced themselves for all to see and once again nothing will change/happen.