ARIZONA FOOTBALL

Arizona coach Rodriguez doesn’t expect team to suffer Wisconsin-like fate

Sep 17, 2013, 5:15 PM | Updated: 5:16 pm

LISTEN: Rich Rodriguez, UA head coach

Arizona head football coach Rich Rodriguez is aware of what happened Saturday night in Tempe.

He saw the Wisconsin Badgers be on the wrong side of a blown call by the referees, which helped Arizona State escape with a big 32-30 win.

The Pac-12 has since reprimanded the officials who were involved, but that does not change the fact that Wisconsin may have lost a game it should have had a chance to win.

Rodriguez, who has has seen the replays, understands why there was confusion on the game’s final play — especially from the officials — on whether or not Wisconsin QB Joel Stave actually knelt with the ball, which helped spawn the controversy.

“A lot of people are talking about that, and I can see why,” he said. “That’s a lesson I bet every coach in America, high school, college, pros, are talking about.

“Be defined when you do that and hand the ball to the official so there is no gray area at all.”

That, Rodriguez said, is what he coaches his team to do. Had Stave taken a knee and handed the ball to a ref, the Sun Devils would not have thought he fumbled and therefore would not have jumped on the ball. Wisconsin then would have then been able to spike the football before attempting the game-winning field goal.

“I think everybody centers the ball or has that play where you center the ball,” the second-year coach said of the same sequence. “We have a rule anyway, and sometimes we have to get on our guys, whether you’re on offense or defense, if you’ve got the ball in your hands when the play is over…you hand the ball to the official.

“We prefer that they hand it to the umpire so that way the ball gets spotted quicker.”

The coach added that’s something the team works on in practice, and does not expect it to ever be an issue for the Wildcats.

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Arizona Football

Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan #4 of the Arizona Wildcats celebrates with Noah Fifita #11 after ca...

Arizona Sports

ESPN’s Rittenberg: Arizona Wildcats’ QB room ranks 10th in nation

Led by the final Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Noah Fifita, the Arizona Wildcats' quarterback room was ranked 10th in the nation.

12 days ago

Grand Canyon forward Duke Brennan...

Vincent DeAngelis

Duke Brennan uses inspiration from family and high motor to propel GCU basketball

Grand Canyon's Duke Brennan has strong Arizona connections and comes from a family of athletes in Colt and Brent Brennan.

20 days ago

Jordan Morgan...

Arizona Sports

Arizona OL, potential 1st-round pick Jordan Morgan shows off speed at NFL Draft Combine

Arizona left tackle Jordan Morgan had the opportunity to show off his speed and athleticism at the NFL Combine on Sunday.

25 days ago

Jacob Cowing...

Arizona Sports

Arizona’s Jacob Cowing shows off elite speed at NFL Scouting Combine

NFL Draft prospect Jacob Cowing from Arizona put up one of the fastest 40-yard dash times among wide receivers at the combine.

26 days ago

An empty podium is seen at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by...

David Veenstra

What to watch for: 2024 NFL Scouting Combine schedule, preview and more

The NFL Scouting Combine begins this week in Indianapolis. Here's a complete guide for college and professional fans across Arizona.

1 month ago

Quarterback Jayden de Laura #7 prepares for a game at Arizona Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Tucson...

Tom Kuebel

Former Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura declares for NFL Draft

Jayden de Laura declared for the NFL Draft and will forego his fifth season of college football eligibility.

1 month ago

Arizona coach Rodriguez doesn’t expect team to suffer Wisconsin-like fate