Texas Tech football: Hidden moments in the loss to Kansas State
Vasher’s near circus catch
For the second-straight week, T.J. Vasher came within an inch of making a game-changing play but was ruled to be out of bounds. After nearly setting Tech up in field goal position on the final drive of regulation against Texas with an over-the-shoulder reception, he almost pulled off an improbable catch by reaching around a KSU defender in mid-air near the end of the first half.
On the play, QB Henry Colombi made the wise decision to simply throw the ball up for grabs in Vahser’s area when he saw the 6-foot-6 target facing one-on-one coverage. But the throw was just wide enough that it left Vahser almost no room to come down in bounds.
Initially ruled as an incompletion on the field, this play was reviewed and the call was upheld. While Vasher did have his toe down in bounds, the question was whether or not his heel came down on the line or whether it stayed just off the turf. Personally, I thought his heel never touched the ground but there was simply not any conclusive video evidence to overturn the call.
This was a critical moment in the game. With just 2:18 to play in the second quarter, the Tech offense had done absolutely nothing to that point of the game. Thus, Tech was in desperate need of points before the half.
Had the catch been ruled in bounds, Tech would have had the ball at around the K-State 2-yard line with three opportunities to get into the endzone. What’s more, on 3rd down, just two plays later, Colombi would not see a pair of wide-open receivers on the right side of the formation instead choosing to throw a dump off to SaRodorick Thompson, who dropped the ball.
Therefore, Wells’ team would have to settle for a 35-yard Wolff FG attempt, which drifted wide right. It was a deflating turn of events right before the intermission as Tech went to the locker room trailing 14-0.
When they say that football (or any sport for that matter) is a game of inches, they have to be talking about plays like this. And had that inch gone Tech’s way, it could have altered the course of this contest.