First, let me say this is not a whining sore loser post. Louisville lost the game, and it’s over and done. They didn’t bring their A-game, and many mistakes were made. If they had taken care of business the way they were capable of, they would have never been in this close game situation. I’m not saying Louisville deserved to win or that Kentucky deserved to lose, I am just saying let the kids determine the outcome of the game with their play and not a bad call.
The play that changed the game winner from Louisville to Kentucky came with less than two minutes to play. The score was tied, Louisville was on the 10-yard line. Then this happened.
The first point is that Lamar clearly twisted the ball so that his wrist hit the ground first as he fell. Lamar Jackson is the front-runner for the Heisman trophy and knows the rules very well. The rules state that the ground can NOT cause a fumble while he is being tackled. He also knows once the wrist touches the ground he is considered down according to the rules of the game.
According to Rule 4.3.b, a player is down when “Any part of the ball carrier’s body, except his hand or foot, touches the ground or when the ball carrier is tackled or otherwise falls and loses possession of the ball as he contacts the ground with any part of his body, except his hand or foot…”
