So Did Mike Gundy Know the Central Michigan Rule … Or Not?

I have a lot of questions. We need to get to Pitt at some point this week, and we will, but first can we talk about how Gundy did a 180 from his post-CMU press conference to his press conference on Monday at Boone Pickens Stadium? On Saturday after the game, Gundy seemed intent on the fact that he deserved blame for the intentional grounding call but not for knowing that the game should have been over.

Even when he released his statement on Sunday via Twitter, he cited disappointment in himself about the intentional grounding but nothing about how the game should have already been over. So let’s walk back through the three main times he’s chatted about what happened at the end of the game.

Saturday after game

A reporter informs Gundy that the CMU play should not have taken place. OSU has disabled the embed button on YouTube for his presser, but you can watch the exchange at 2:13 right here.

Reporter: “A lot of people addressing on social media that that last play by CMU should not have been available because of the ruling in the rule books. Was that addressed with the officials that that shouldn’t have been a play? [Explains entire rule]”

Gundy: “We were in possession and they accepted the penalty, right? You said a lot of things really fast … I asked the official and they said ‘a penalty on the offensive team with the clock expired cannot end the game’ so that’s where it came to that point I’m guessing. With what you said, I’m not sure. Either way it was a bad decision on my part …”

So that’s basically him expressing that he didn’t know that a penalty like that should end a game, right? A referee told him and he didn’t express that he thought he knew differently … even to reporters. Or am I misunderstanding that? He was essentially aghast over the fact that a penalty was called but seemed indifferent about the fact that the game didn’t end. Onto Sunday …

Sunday in Statement

“I’m disappointed in myself that I called a play that could have been interpreted as intentional grounding. That play has been in our playbook for 12 years now and intentional grounding and an untimed down after the last play of the game never even crossed my mind. Of course in hindsight, I wish I would have done it differently, but in the big picture, the game should have been over. While I’m disappointed in myself, I am also disappointed that we had 10 rules officials who didn’t properly apply the rule.”

Still nothing about himself knowing the rule that the game should have ended. If you need a refresher, here’s that rule.

So that should not have been a play. Here’s the rule. pic.twitter.com/rJqX9HclJ1

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) September 10, 2016

Monday in Press Conference

Then it flipped on Monday.

“That’s why I was so frustrated that night, because I knew that an accepted penalty by the defense with the clock expired, the game’s over. If the offense runs a play and the defense gets penalized, then you can extend the game, in most cases, there is some fine print. We were all aware of that. At the end of the night laying down, that’s why I was most upset. Because I should have just said, ‘I know the rule.’

“I would say that there’s a good chance that this rule will be changed. That’s just my guess. In my final analysis, the one area that disappointed me is that I couldn’t just take my shirt off and lay on the field and protest and say, ‘I know this rule is this way because I know 9 years ago when we studied it, there was enough people in that room, and we’re detailed enough with our staff and what we do…’ The only thing that crossed my mind was maybe it’s changed and I didn’t know it.”

Wait … where was this statement after the game on Saturday or on Sunday? And if there’s even a question that the game shouldn’t be over, wouldn’t you at least ask about it? Is this not worse than not even knowing? If you don’t know, fine, the rule book is thicker than a dictionary. But to think you know the rule and not even approach an official to ask that it be checked … ! That’s egregious!

Maybe it clicked at some point while he was shooting skeet or maybe the light went on on Monday morning. Everything happens incredibly fast on the field during a game so I’m willing to give him at least a little bit of the benefit of the doubt. But it sure seems like a bit of revisionist history here.

Of course it doesn’t matter now, and I’m not going to hold this against Gundy because, but man, I thought his admission on Monday that he thought he knew the rule and didn’t say anything about it was a huge bummer. Unfortunately Robert Allen was not able to save the day either.