Gator Bowl: Virginia 13, Missouri 7

 

Now, that was some bullshit!

The sequence of southwestern state bowls was interrupted to bring you a very important SEC game - the unranked Missouri Tigers (8-4) of the mighty SEC against the No. 19 Virginia Cavaliers (10-3) of the ACC in the Gator Bowl. The game itself wasn't the bullshit, but the last play of the game was.

Virginia took a 13-7 lead in the third quarter, and all through the fourth neither team could score again. But then, toward the end of the fourth, as the clock was running out, Missouri mounted a last drive. I had the Tigers as seven-point favorites, even though their edge was down to four points at gametime, and there was no way they'd beat the spread or that I'd get the win. But for the honor of the SEC, the Tigers were trying to at least win the game if not beat the spread.

With 1:33 left, Missouri took possession of the ball for their last-ditch drive. They advanced the ball 61 yards to the Virginia 21, and then, on third and 10 with eight seconds left, Missouri QB Matt Zollers threw an incomplete pass under heavy coverage and fell down hard on the field. His helmet hit the turf and his hands immediately went to his head, but he got right back up and got into position for a final fourth-and-10 play.

But the refs took the ball out of his hands and had Missouri's backup QB enter the game. Concussion protocol, or concerns about concussion. It was fine for him to stand on the sidelines and watch the last play, but after three hours-plus of football, one more snap was more than the refs could allow. The backup made a great pass and a miracle very nearly, almost happened, but it was incomplete and the game ended with a Virginia and ACC win.

Look, I'm no fan of CTE or brain concussions, but Zollers didn't look dizzy or disoriented to my eyes, and it was only ONE MORE PLAY. Couldn't they just have given him the chance for one more throw and to win or lose the game in which he had fought for the last three hours? In a perfect world, he'd have thrown a game-winning TD, left the field, and get all the medical attention he needed. But no, the refs determined the last play of the game wasn't for him, and that was that, and that was some bullshit.