Rich Rod Asked for the Rule Number on Vanished Flag and the Ref Hesitated

At the end of the first half in West Virginia's game against Pitt on Saturday, the officiating crew did not properly adjudicate a late hit foul on a Pitt defender. The flag was thrown, but because there was one second left on the clock, the crew said it was the end of the half because West Virginia didn't have a timeout to use to prevent the half from ending.

In all my years of covering football, I've never seen a dead-ball foul not enforced. And that's what West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez was so upset about on the field. It's one thing to take away an opportunity to kick a field goal and go up 10-3 at the half, but it's another to not enforce the penalty on the kickoff to begin the second half. It's like the penalty never even existed.

"Yeah, the call that never was," Rodriguez said during his coach's show on Monday night. "It was the penalty that disappeared. It's magical. A disappearing penalty. In my calm demeanor, I asked, 'What rule are you exactly referring to that you would have a penalty, a dead-ball penalty at that, and it's not enforced at either side?' Either now, and we move it up 15 yards and kick a field goal, or at the beginning of the second half, when they have to kick off from the 20. I said, 'What rule is that?' And he hesitated, which told me he didn't know what the hell he was talking about. I'm probably going to get fined for that, but whatever. I got folks to help me with that.

"But I did ask him in a calm manner, I said, 'Tell me the exact rule number,' because I have been coaching around a little bit, and I've never heard of this one, and I'm going to look that rule number up so I can get informed. That's all. I just want to know. I never did get the rule number. I'm still a little bit perplexed that a penalty was called and never enforced. So what exactly is it? If it is a rule that after the half is over and you can have a personal foul and not be enforced, that's kind of scary. People could be throwing hands, and they'd be like, Oh, can't do nothing about that. Clock ran out."

The ACC, which is where the officiating crew is from, has not released a statement on the play. Even the ESPN commentators, Mark Jones and Roddy Jones, were befuddled by it, calling it a "loophole" if that is indeed a rule.