Lost in the lights...

[cedarvalleykid14]

Mostly lost in reviews of the MSU game is the long pass that appeared to go right through Tevaun Smith's hands for what would have been another Iowa TD. Apparently, he lost the ball in the lights. It happens, but wow...why do things like that only seem to happen to Iowa?

Anyway, Iowa would have had THREE more passing TDs if ....

* Tevaun doesn't lose it in the lights (no FOX replay and hardly any comment on this game-changing play, a perfectly thrown ball from CJ)

* If VandeBerg doesn't get held (on the PI call -- another CJ beauty)

* If the TE hangs onto the ball in the end zone (he took a vicious, probably helmet-to-helmet hit that wasn't called)

We all know about woulda, coulda, shoulda, but the fact is Iowa was "that" close to another 21 points. That would have been 34, and the game never would have come down to a final MSU drive. I don't think we should overlook these three plays and what almost was.

 

[hawkbleeder]

That Tevaun miss was hard to accept. I believe him though..

 

[cedarvalleykid14]

It happens to MLB players fairly often, and it's hard to accept every time. What a shame it had to happen to Iowa.

 

[noStemsnoSTICKS]

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts...

 

[thewop]

That Tevaun miss was hard to accept. I believe him though..

He owned up to it like a man when asked about it in the postgame radio interview. He referred to his own drop as a key play. While at the game I didn't realize how close it was, watching the replay was just painful. To the OP's point though, wasn't the Tevaun miss and the Vandeberg hold on the same drive? I don't recall for sure.

There were plenty of near misses, a heck of a game.

 

[Dauminator]

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts...

We'd all have a Merry Christmas. We will have a happy New Year, though, so there's that.

It is a shame that it seems to always find us on the rare cases we try to rise above our usual station. Maybe someday.

 

[EpenesaEpenesa]

He owned up to it like a man when asked about it in the postgame radio interview. He referred to his own drop as a key play. While at the game I didn't realize how close it was, watching the replay was just painful. To the OP's point though, wasn't the Tevaun miss and the Vandeberg hold on the same drive? I don't recall for sure.

There were plenty of near misses, a heck of a game.

Same drive. GD went for the throat 3 different plays on that drive. Fade to Vandenberg, Mitchell wanted to throw a halfback pass and then the post to Smith.

 

[DavenportHawk8]

Yup this one was confusing to me. He was pretty open and he threw his hands up I couldn't believe it? It was right there and he didnt' catch it.

Makes sense that it got lost in the lights.

I just wish we would of tried to run the ball more in the 3rd quarter. I mean we ran 3 deep passes and then punted. Try and burn some clock. Even we got it back with a 13-9 lead, then we went into "safe" mode and ran it. Have to be a little unpredictable at times.

 

[thewop]

Yup this one was confusing to me. He was pretty open and he threw his hands up I couldn't believe it? It was right there and he didnt' catch it.

Makes sense that it got lost in the lights.

I just wish we would of tried to run the ball more in the 3rd quarter. I mean we ran 3 deep passes and then punted. Try and burn some clock. Even we got it back with a 13-9 lead, then we went into "safe" mode and ran it. Have to be a little unpredictable at times.

we were averaging 2 yards/carry. I thought going to the pass was the right move, and thought we should have done it sooner. Losing Canzeri was a big deal, the run he got hurt on was great, and Wadley's the only guy that could match that, but we don't use Wadley in the passing game.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

Wadley was the second leading receiver

we were averaging 2 yards/carry. I thought going to the pass was the right move, and thought we should have done it sooner. Losing Canzeri was a big deal, the run he got hurt on was great, and Wadley's the only guy that could match that, but we don't use Wadley in the passing game.

for us after Smith. He had 3 catches for 34 yards out of the backfield.

 

[David1979]

God, I watched the replay of this a few times and if he wouldn't have lost it in the lights it would have been at worst first and goal on like the 2. Perfectly thrown ball.

 

[MVPFAN]

I think they put the rule up when the Nebraska guy hit smith and drew the penalty. If I remember it said any blow to the neck or head area of a defenseless receiver is a penalty, the hit in the MSU game on Kittle would seem to qualify for that. Targeting comes into play if you lead with the helmet.

 

[HawkinMN]

God, I watched the replay of this a few times and if he wouldn't have lost it in the lights it would have been at worst first and goal on like the 2. Perfectly thrown ball.

Yep, I was wondering how he didn't catch that, but lost in lights makes sense. Heck of a thrown ball. So close folks, so close.

 

[AuroraHawk]

The view on TV made it look like Smith was only able to get his left hand up in an effort to catch the ball. I questioned whether the MSU defender was holding his right arm down or hindered Smith's ability to get his right hand up in an effort to make the catch. However, if Smith truly had trouble seeing the ball that would likely explain what looked suspicious on TV.

 

[AuroraHawk]

I think they put the rule up when the Nebraska guy hit smith and drew the penalty. If I remember it said any blow to the neck or head area of a defenseless receiver is a penalty, the hit in the MSU game on Kittle would seem to qualify for that. Targeting comes into play if you lead with the helmet.

FWIW, I was "begging" for Kittle to try to "sell" it. Had Kittle stayed down and not fought it off like he did, I think that there would have been a good chance that a late flag would been dropped. When I saw the play live, I thought that there was a good chance that he was staying down. While I don't think that it was necessarily intentional, it was a pretty vicious hit to the head.

 

[David1979]

FWIW, I was "begging" for Kittle to try to "sell" it. Had Kittle stayed down and not fought it off like he did, I think that there would have been a good chance that a late flag would been dropped. When I saw the play live, I thought that there was a good chance that he was staying down. While I don't think that it was necessarily intentional, it was a pretty vicious hit to the head.

You could hear the helmets hit on the broadcast.

 

[DavenportHawk8]

The view on TV made it look like Smith was only able to get his left hand up in an effort to catch the ball. I questioned whether the MSU defender was holding his right arm down or hindered Smith's ability to get his right hand up in an effort to make the catch. However, if Smith truly had trouble seeing the ball that would likely explain what looked suspicious on TV.

Nope actually Tevaun stuck his right hand out I think trying to get a PI call. There was no contact between him and the DB. I wondered what happened because he put his left arm up like he was going to catch it and his right arm was just straight out from his body? It just looked weird and that was a PERFECT THROW had it not gotten lost in the lights. It would of been 1st n goal at the 5yd line probably.

Just a game of inches and another situation where something crazy happened.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

There were two guys around Tevaun on that play as well. It was into coverage, but right where it needed to be. Unfortunately, he just never was quite able to look it in.

The problem I have with the halfback pass was that it looked like it was on the short side of the field and MSU had a ton of guys in space to defend that play.

The Spartans seem to do a good job of keeping guys within a box and not getting sucked up too early on plays. When you have a fast-reacting defense like they do, that makes it much easier to allow more time to read the play, because they can close faster once they recognize run/pass. There were plays where an MSU defender would be 5-7 yds away from the ball, but would come flying in to make a stop for short gains.

I couldn't tell who Mitchell was looking to on that play, but the numbers were never in our favor from the snap.