MovieChat Forums > All the Right Moves (1983) Discussion > Pass Interference Penalty...

Pass Interference Penalty...

posted 15 years ago by BellevueHokie
8 replies | jump to latest

Nickerson getting on Stef about the pass interference penalty doesn't make any sense.

Walnut Heights had the ball with 1st and goal to go on Ampipe's 10 yard line. The receiver was on the 1 yard line when Stef interfered with him. Due to the rules of high school football they could only give Walnut Heights half the distance to the goal line. So Walnut Heights got the ball on Ampipe's 5 yard line with a repeat of first down rather than on the 1 yard line on 2nd down. Stef actually saved them 4 yards but gave them an extra down.

Ampipe ended up holding them and kept Walnut Heights from scoring and they got the ball back on downs. There was just enough time on the clock to run 1 play. Nickerson then decides he want to run the Joe Pisarcek play and gives Walnut Heights a touchdown and the game.

The effect of Stef's pass interference did not lead to the touchdown. It moved Walnut Heights 4 yards back, gave them an extra down but ran the time for 1 more play off the clock. If they hadn't gotten the extra down either Walnut Heights would've scored (they would've had the ball at the 1 yard line on 2nd down as the best case scenario) or Ampipe would've had to run 2 plays from their own goal line.

Nickerson said, "...they never would've been down there in the first place." The problem was they were already down there! The only thing Stef could've done different was:

1.) Let the guy catch the ball then try to tackle him (which given that he caught it on the 1 yard line he might have surged into the endzone for a touchdown)
2.) Cut inside and intercept the ball (which is not a given by any stretch of the imagination)

In the final analysis, Walnut Heights did not capitalize on Stef's pass interference penalty in any way shape or form. The smart thing for Nickerson to have done would've been to call for Rifleman to run a quarterback keeper, surge forward and run out the clock. The running play he called for was just asking for it especially since it was raining!

[–] vespid23 15 years ago

That was Stephan's point in the locker room.

[–] willfury 15 years ago

Why not just take a Safety in that situation? Virtually any other play would have been better than the play Nickerson called!

[–] Paul_Ke 15 years ago

The OP is correct. 1st and goal at the 5-yard line with the clock winding down is a better situation for the Ampipe defense, rather than having to defend against Walnute Heights having 2nd and goal at the one yard line.

...The only possible argument one could make is that Nickerson may have been thinking (unfairly) that the pass should have been defended better by the cornerback, and thus, should have been an incomplete pass, as opposed to a pass interference play.

Don't get me wrong, OP. I agree with you, from what we can see, it appears the only 2 possibilities are a completed pass or a pass interference penalty. But maybe Nickerson is thinking narrow-mindedly that the result should have been either an incomplete pass or a pass interference penalty.

[–] capablecarl 15 years ago

Willfury is right. You take the safety and free kick the thing out of there.

Nickerson was a moron. Why did Minnesota State hire him after that colossal blunder?

It is clear now that Luther and Dob were the brains of that outfit...

[–] PhiladelphiaEagles 15 years ago

Nickerson was an absolute idiot. First of all, if it wasn't for Stef, they don't get that pick six interception by him which put them up 14-10 to begin with. And the fact that he didn't have Rifleman kneel the ball or just sneak it for a yard to run the clock out totally destroys any credibility that he had. He even acknowledged this when he was talking to his wife in bed.

You wanna be a farmer? Here's a couple of acres!

[–] ddhddh 14 years ago

Pretty much agree with all the above. Also, the high schools coaches in that area (and probably almost everywhere) would make the right call. Spot on representation of steel valley football and culture though.

[–] jefgg 11 years ago

Maybe Stef would have been able to cover that receiver if a defensive backs coach worked with him. I don't remember the team having any assistant coaches.

[–] gbenson20 11 years ago

I agree with most all of your points on the bad play calling, but I will say I still see many High School coaches making bone headed decisions. Although I would think most coaches would take the qb sneak or the safety I am sure there are some that would do something like this. Hell our O coordinator in a rain/mud game called the same running play 18 plays in a row over 4 series, even thought it wasn't working and everyone in the stadium knew what was coming, we wanted to kill him but what do you do, you change the play you get benched.