Sunday, June 23, 2013

Moment #90: A Major Stroke of Luck




The ol’ yellow flag hasn’t been Columbia’s friend over the years, and there were plenty of times in 2013 when the refs came out to bite us in questionable ways.

But late in the season opener against Marist, with the Lions clinging to a paper-thin 10-9 lead, a most fortuitous flag flew through the air at the most fortunate time.

After a three-and-out possession by the Lions, Marist took over at its 24 following a solid 42-yard punt by Paul Delaney.

On the very first play, Red Fox QB Chris Looney hit start TE Anthony Calcagni in full stride for what looked like a 76-yard TD.

But then the flag along the west hash mark became visible.

It turns out after Calcagni made the catch, one of his teammates committed a holding penalty that wiped out more than half of the gain.

Marist would have to settle for a 1st down at the CU 39 with four minutes left.

For the record in 2012, the Lions finished near the top of the Ivies for fewest penalties with 54 for a total of 459 yards. Columbia’s opponents were much more heavily penalized with 71 flags against them for 597 yards, second best in the league.

But it’s TIMING that really counts with penalties, and we’ll address that issue as this top 100 moments of 2012 review marches on through the summer.



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Field position starts with punter. As coach M says the punt is the first defensive play of a new series.