I really feel bad for Dan Skipper

[Jamie Jones]

Look, I agree that the play should have been blown dead and even agree that the hit was questionable at best, but it is the responsibly of the OFFICIALS to end the play. It's not their job to throw a player under the bus for their shortcomings in their job. And that is exactly what happened. I have no trouble "pats"ing on here either!

[UhYeaJoe]

As silly as it sounds, the whistle is only a "confirmation" that the play is over. If an officials kills a "live" ball it will be a nightmare for the official and may even cost him/her their job. That is why they are sometimes slow. If you can't see the ball down & in possession, you don't blow your whistle.

This doesn't give players "free reign" to light someone up.

Common sense goes a long way.

[Pigdiana Jones]

Coach mentioned that penalty in his presser. Said the hit came before the whistle and the zebras told him (Coach) that the play was dead.

"Well, HE doesn't know that!"

Anyway, I get the impression Coach told Skipper don't sweat it. It's just bad zebras.

We have an entire conference full of piss poor pathetic ones.

[Jamie Jones]

As silly as it sounds, the whistle is only a "confirmation" that the play is over. If an officials kills a "live" ball it will be a nightmare for the official and may even cost him/her their job. That is why they are sometimes slow. If you can't see the ball down & in possession, you don't blow your whistle.

This doesn't give players "free reign" to light someone up.

Common sense goes a long way.

If there is a fumble and recovery by LSU, then it's their ball upon review, because there was no whistle. And while Dan probably shouldn't have hit the guy, as far as the play itself is concerned, it is still a live play. That "confirmation" you speak of, is totally on the officials. They blew it, or in this case failed to blow it, AGAIN!

[Pork Twain]

If there is a fumble and recovery by LSU, then it's their ball upon review, because there was no whistle. And while Dan probably shouldn't have hit the guy, as far as the play itself is concerned, it is still a live play. That "confirmation" you speak of, is totally on the officials. They blew it, or in this case failed to blow it, AGAIN!

There was not a fumble.

[Pork Twain]

I find it humorous that those shouting loudest that Skipper was in the right would also be the loudest bitching if another player did it to one of our DL.  I will go ahead and say if you say you wouldn't be, you lack integrity.    Were you also shouting about the "bad" calls he had against him in the aTm game, which were by the way, good calls?  You say the refs are targeting him, but why?  Why are they not targeting any of our other OL?

You are also saying that our players are too stupid to have independent thoughts and are unable to discern when a play is over, without a whistle to tell them.  I, on the other hand, believe our players are smart enough to know that and that sometimes their emotions just get in their way and that they should pull up even without hearing a whistle blow.  That does not mean they are bad players, it just means they are human.

[007 License To Squeal]

As silly as it sounds, the whistle is only a "confirmation" that the play is over. If an officials kills a "live" ball it will be a nightmare for the official and may even cost him/her their job. That is why they are sometimes slow. If you can't see the ball down & in possession, you don't blow your whistle.

This doesn't give players "free reign" to light someone up.

Yes it does, if the block is legal.  Unnecessary roughness should not be called against an O line blocker if the play is live.

[007 License To Squeal]

never mind

[Jamie Jones]

There was not a fumble.

Sigh...you missed the point. IF there had been, the refs would not have said, "Hey, the players THOUGHT the play was over." You play until the official blows a whistle. We could have done without the hit, but the play was NOT over.

[PorkSoda]

BS. The play was over and he pushed the guy from behind. The right call was made there but they missed other calls that should have been called on lsu.

the play is live until the whistle blows, period.  bad call.

[GlassofSwine]

I find it humorous that those shouting loudest that Skipper was in the right would also be the loudest bitching if another player did it to one of our DL.  I will go ahead and say if you say you wouldn't be you, lack integrity.    Were you also shouting about the "bad" calls he had against him in the aTm game, which were by the way, good calls?  You say the refs are targeting him, but why?  Why are they not targeting any of our other OL?

You are also saying that our players are too stupid to have independent thoughts and are unable to discern when a play is over, without a whistle to tell them.  I, on the other hand, believe our players are smart enough to know that and that sometimes their emotions just get in their way and that they should pull up even without hearing a whistle blow.  That does not mean they are bad players, it just means they are human.

  You like to make assumptions. Go through my post history if you want and you will see me plainly calling him guilty after the tripping penalty against those defending him.I think Skipper has made boneheaded plays this year. It is why the official called the penalty on him in the game. I wouldn't care if an opposing player did that to one of our LB's if the play was live.
          The only thing I care about is the officials calling penalties that follow the rules of the game. When the ref's say that a player committed a personal foul after the play was dead yet they haven't blown the whistle to call the play dead it is a BS call. IT wasn't like Skipper purposely hit him in the back either. Have you gone back to re-watch the play?

[Mike Irwin]

IT wasn't like Skipper purposely hit him in the back either. Have you gone back to re-watch the play?

Looked like to me Skipper took off running and plowed directly into the guy's back.

[turbo2000]

Looked like to me Skipper took off running and plowed directly into the guy's back.

Did Bielema contact SEC office to get clarification whether the hit was legal? If so, what was the ruling, if any?

[GlassofSwine]

Looked like to me Skipper took off running and plowed directly into the guy's back.

  Rewatch the replay, Skipper sheds a block looks up and sees the LB standing at the head of the pile and lunges at him. The LB turned his back right before Skipper made contact. When Skipper moved the make the block the LB was facing the pile.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Looked like to me Skipper took off running and plowed directly into the guy's back.

Mike, over the years you have watched a LOT of football in person and on t.v. Maybe more than most of us. You have seen very aggressive players before, on both sides of the ball.

Personally, I like Skipper's aggressiveness, but I think we can all agree that there is something called "timely and controlled aggression".

Boy, I don't want to see the staff correct him so much that he plays with lesser aggression, and I don't think that they are doing that. I think they are trying to teach him when to unleash that aggression (within the rules) and to learn when to reign it back in. It comes with maturity and experience as a player. It's called, "playing with composure".

Would you agree?

[Pork Twain]

Sigh...you missed the point. IF there had been, the refs would not have said, "Hey, the players THOUGHT the play was over." You play until the official blows a whistle. We could have done without the hit, but the play was NOT over.

But there wasn't.

[Pork Twain]

  You like to make assumptions. Go through my post history if you want and you will see me plainly calling him guilty after the tripping penalty against those defending him.I think Skipper has made boneheaded plays this year. It is why the official called the penalty on him in the game. I wouldn't care if an opposing player did that to one of our LB's if the play was live.
          The only thing I care about is the officials calling penalties that follow the rules of the game. When the ref's say that a player committed a personal foul after the play was dead yet they haven't blown the whistle to call the play dead it is a BS call. IT wasn't like Skipper purposely hit him in the back either. Have you gone back to re-watch the play?

Watched it several times, still a good call.  He is a great talent that needs to play smarter at times.

[GlassofSwine]

Watched it several times, still a good call.  He is a great talent that needs to play smarter at times.

  I agree with your last statement, just not on this play. The dumbest play of the season was the tripping penalty in the A&M game. There is a reason they changed his number and have tried to give him a new start mentally.

[Piggfoot]

  Rewatch the replay, Skipper sheds a block looks up and sees the LB standing at the head of the pile and lunges at him. The LB turned his back right before Skipper made contact. When Skipper moved the make the block the LB was facing the pile.

If he had enough time to push the guy. He had enough time to collapse his arms and try to stop. The ref thought it was a cheap unnecessary shot. That's why it was called unsportsmanlike.

[razorbacker3]

If he had enough time to push the guy. He had enough time to collapse his arms and try to stop. The ref thought it was a cheap unnecessary shot. That's why it was called unsportsmanlike.

I wonder why said refs didn't flag the LSU LB jumping on a down AC when the ball was poorly snapped in the wildhog. Had the whistle blown then? If not shouldn't he known AC was down? And howcome no unsportsman like or unnecessary roughness call? After jumping very hard on AC when he was down, he flips him over (at the whistle) and slaps violently twice, knocking the ball out (after the whistle) and pushing AC down again as he goes after the ball.

[GlassofSwine]

If he had enough time to push the guy. He had enough time to collapse his arms and try to stop. The ref thought it was a cheap unnecessary shot. That's why it was called unsportsmanlike.

  LOL. Look you know Skipper has played overly aggressive at times so regardless of the circumstances your default position on anything questionable is that he made a boneheaded play. I'm not the one being unreasonable, when the play happened and they first showed the replay it looked bad. Primarily because they only showed the end of the play when he hit the guy. Watching the replay of the full play and focusing on Skipper changed my mind. Getting a 300 lb 6'10'' body moving takes a lot of energy and stopping it once it is moving is not merely an exercise of the mind. He was slow to  the block but his intent wasn't malevolent. That doesn't even take into account the refs hadn't whistled the play dead.

[phadedhawg]

I guess the official's whistle isn't what ends the play but the "c`mon the play was over and he did a bad thing brigade" decides when the play is dead.

You guys will need to be more vocal so they can hear your calls from the stands.

[phadedhawg]

But all you ladies hand slap fighting aside, Skipper needs to keep his head in the game and realize the officials have decided to make him a project this year

[spiritof92]

Look, I agree that the play should have been blown dead and even agree that the hit was questionable at best, but it is the responsibly of the OFFICIALS to end the play. It's not their job to throw a player under the bus for their shortcomings in their job. And that is exactly what happened. I have no trouble "pats"ing on here either!

Instant replay has played a big part in the late whistles.

[007 License To Squeal]

Instant replay has played a big part in the late whistles.

One of the problems with re-plays is that they are sometimes run at slower-than-normal speed.  That can give a false sense of momentum and the speed of real-time actions.

Having said that, replays concerning fumbles are better analyzed at slower speeds.

[Pork Twain]

There is no replay getting played fast enough to lead to a flag.