Against Wisconsin, ASU benefited from ‘the human element to the game’

Sep 16, 2013, 9:14 PM | Updated: Sep 18, 2013, 12:01 am

TEMPE, Ariz. — Two days later, it is still the hot topic in college football: How the final 18 seconds played out between ASU and Wisconsin.

“I knew exactly what happened,” head coach Todd Graham said.

“When (Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave) went to set the ball, he kind of slipped,” Graham explained during his weekly Monday press conference. “And when he set the ball on the ground, what happened — if you watch the film — their right tackle, No. 78 for them (Rob Havenstein) he went like, ‘Oh,’ so everybody kind of flinched and then our guys jumped on the ball. I knew right then that they were going to have a hard time getting that play off.”

Wisconsin never ran another play as time expired before Stave had a chance to spike the football to set up for a potential game-winning field goal.

The Pac-12 reviewed the end of the game and determined, according to a statement released Monday, that neither the referee nor anyone on his crew moved with appropriate urgency to clearly communicate that the ball was to be spotted so play could resume promptly.

“Even I was hollering to get on the ball because when (Stave) set the ball down is what really started that,” Graham said. “Even their players kind of jumped at the ball, so it was kind of one of those deals that was very unusual.”

Commissioner Larry Scott agreed.

“This was an unusual situation to end the game,” he said in the same statement. “The officials fell short of the high standard in which Pac-12 games should be managed.”

The officials — referee Jack Folliard, umpire Douglas Wilson, head linesman Ryan Dickson, line judge Steven Kovac, side judge Aaron Santi, field judge Kevin Kieser and back judge Steve Steichen — have since been reprimanded and taken additional sanctions against according to Scott.

“That’s the human element to the game,” Graham said. “But at the end of the day I’m proud of our guys and how hard they played and they deserved to win. I really believe that. You check that one and you go to the next one.”

The next one for Graham and the 23rd-ranked Sun Devils is a visit to No. 5 Stanford Saturday.

Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) 
Arizona State's Taylor Kelly warms up prior to an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Wisconsin's Joel Stave warms up prior to an NCAA college football game against Arizona State, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State head coach Todd Graham, right, talks with Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen prior to an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State's Taylor Kelly throws a pass against Wisconsin in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State's Chris Coyle, left, breaks a tackle against Wisconsin's Ethan Armstrong in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Wisconsin's Joel Stave (2) looks to hand off the ball in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona State, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State's Taylor Kelly, left, is taken down by Wisconsin's Joe Schobert (58) and Chris Borland (44) in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Wisconsin's Beau Allen (96) celebrates his touchdown against Arizona State with teammates, including Michael Caputo (7), after the Arizona State punter had a snap go past him in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State punter Dom Vizzare, front left, loses the ball as Wisconsin's Chris Borland (44), Beau Allen (96) and Brendan Kelly (97) give chase and Arizona State's Carl Bradford (52) and Davon Coleman (43) also move in during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. Wisconsin's Allen recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Wisconsin's Jacob Pedersen keeps his feet in as he makes a touchdown catch against Arizona State in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State's Marion Grice, right, carries the ball as he tries to get past Wisconsin's Ethan Hemer (87) in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen gives instructions to his players on the field in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Wisconsin's James White runs with the ball against Arizona State in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Wisconsin's Chris Borland (44) and Ethan Armstrong (36) are able to bring down Arizona State's Frederick Gammage short of the endzone in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30 on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Clayton Klapper/KTAR) Arizona State's Jake Sheffield (91), Kody Koebensky (67) and Chris Coyle (87) celebrate a win after an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Arizona State's Gannon Conway (95) celebrates a win against Wisconsin as time expires in the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen, middle, Brian Wozniak (85) and other Wisconsin players walk off the field in disbelief after a loss to Arizona State in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen, far left, yells at officials as they attempt to leave the field after an NCAA college football game against Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, in Phoenix. Arizona State defeated Wisconsin 32-30. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Against Wisconsin, ASU benefited from ‘the human element to the game’