Was the game-winning field goal partially deflected?

[2EastTnVols]

It was tipped by 47 who jumped over the lineman, which is a penalty if I'm not mistaken. Just glad it got there.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

It was tipped by 47 who jumped over the lineman, which is a penalty if I'm not mistaken. Just glad it got there.

I thought it was a penalty, too. Sure had a "New Tennessee" outcome.

 

[Boone&Crockett]

Yea it was tipped, i didnt think it was going to make it, I was in stunned shock for a second or two when the Officials raised their arms before the house nearly came down.....

 

[VOLSDB]

Looked to me like McGrath took a mis-step(started too early) right before the snap which messed up timing leading to the knuckle ball. Oh well. Had just enough. GBO

 

[81Bubbavol]

Watch #47's hand and you'll see his fingers flip as they contact the ball. Congrats to the kicker for hitting it well enough that it still made it over.

 

[Rickyvol77]

For anyone who was at the game or had a better view than we did, was the game-winning field goal ever so slightly deflected? It had such a flat trajectory and unusual spin that it makes one wonder.

I believe so too. The same thing happened against Arkansas in that 2002 OT game where we had a blocked fG go thru the uprights

 

[DiderotsGhost]

I watched it a dozen times in super slow-motion on YouTube like it was the Zapruder film after the game. I can't see any evidence it was tipped. Not saying it's impossible, but if it was, it just grazed the top of a Bama defender's fingertips.

I think the actual reason it knuckleballed was Chase McGrath took off a split-second too early and then had to correct himself and he didn't hit it perfectly in stride. Give him credit, though; he still got the thing through the uprights!

 

[allvol123]

It was tipped by 47 who jumped over the lineman, which is a penalty if I'm not mistaken. Just glad it got there.

I thought this. Maybe I don’t understand the rule, but I did not think that was legal.

 

[CAVPUT]

At first, I thought so, but after seeing it several times, I don't think so.

 

[rwemyss]

I thought it was just a poor strike. If you're looking for someone that had a "better/closer" look at it, Chase said he wasn't sure if it was tipped or not and he was as close as you can get. LOL

Doesn't matter, it went over the crossbar. Pandemonium ensued, we start a new streak. 1-0 against Alabama.

 

[jmacvols1]

Virginia Tech fan board claiming TN kicker made a false start on the winning last kick and should have been flagged;

imgKicker should've gotten a penalty -- hoosnowahokie 10/15/2022 6:36PM
imgMaybe not. His step was close to a false start though. **-- hoosnowahokie 10/15/2022 6:37PM
imgChanged my mind again. Side view he was moving towards the line-- hoosnowahokie 10/15/2022 6:38PM
imgI called false start as soon as he kicked it. Did nobody see it? **-- BobG 10/16/2022 00:14AM

TechSideline.com

 

[mscc1998]

If it was, thank goodness it was a 40 yard fg vs. compared to Alabama's 52 yard attempt seconds earlier. If our attempt had been 50+ yards, we would have had a OT game.

 

[Russdaddy2027]

It was the redemption of Mount Cody

 

[Russdaddy2027]

Love watching the kickers immediate reaction… talk about an adrenaline dump. Prob felt like he wasn't even there.

 

[Jonboy]

Lol. This isn’t a serious comment. They both launched over the gap between the center and guard. It would be a penalty to jump directly over the center.

I was serious but watching the replay again, I think you’re right. I’ve just never seen get through two guys so cleanly like that on a kick! He uses his hand to kind of push them down on the shoulder pads but jumps through without his feet touching them. I believe the penalty would be if he used his feet to leap off, right? Which he didn’t appear to do on replay.