0FFICIATING HURTING (ALL SPORTS) AS HOKIES LEARNED, THE HARD WAY

 Trying to catch up … knowing we never will …

Officiating (all sports) is at an all-time low … perhaps 

reflecting widespread difficulty finding willing 

participants on local level. Or is it simply a sign of the 

times. Draw your own conclusions.

***** Boy, did Virginia Tech get the short end of what 

ESPN’s LOUIS RIDDICK described as “a really bad 

call” in Saturday’s 34-17 loss to Miami, Fla. 

Down by 17 points but showing some offensive spark in 

the second half (after scoring three points total in the 

first), the Hokies completed 17-yard pass-run play that 

carried inside the Miami 40 ... nullified by an inadvertent 

whistle. Get this:

QB KYRON DRONES, ignoring blitzing BRYCE 

FITZGERALD, who had him low, around the ankles, 

launched a perfect toss to AYDEN GREENE … but, 

with ball in the air, suddenly you heard the whistle. 

ESPN’s crack crew didn’t tell us who blew it (sorry about 

that) but you had to believe it was refereeJERRY 

MAGALLANES.

A replay showed he turned his back on the pass to run 

towards Drones ostensibly to spot the ball from where he 

threw it.

“It should never happen,” said rules interpreter Jerry 

McGinn. “We always talk about slow whistles and no 

whistles. Let the play kill itself. 

“That’s an official’s worst nightmare, the inadvertent 

whistle … and it’s going to haunt him the rest of the 

season.”

By rule, they had to re-play third down (and ll) from 

Tech’s 48 with 4:03 left in the third quarter. This time 

Drones,  again running to his right, was caught from 

behind and sacked. 

(In 2015, the ACC suspended the on-field crew -- plus 

two off-field including the replay official -- two games 

for “a series of errors” on the final play of the Miami-

Duke game in which the Hurricanes threw eight laterals 

before scoring the winning touchdown. Final: 30-27. The 

referee was … Magallanes.)

***** There were 60 million reasons why Florida State 

opted to keep football coach MIKE NORVELL, 7-16 

since 13-0 in 2023.

Speaking of which … do we know what new football 

coach JAMES FRANKLIN’S buyout is at Virginia 

Tech? Heck, he’s already (cliché alert) made out like a 

bandit -- $9 million in a settlement with Penn State plus 

$41.35M (five years) from Tech, which breaks down into 

$6M the first year then drops to $5M the second, $4M 

the third before jumping to $12.95 and finally reaches a 

high of $13.75 the final year ,,, an average of $8.2 million 

PLUS incentives, of course … According to one insider, 

what REALLY sold Franklin on the Hokies’ offer was 

$15M-plus for his staff, an increase of more than twice as 

much of what predecessor BRENT PRY’S assistants

 shared.

***** ON SECOND THOUGHT. The NCAA reversed 

an earlier decision and ruled college athletes, coaches and 

administrators may NOT bet on pro sports after all.

***** TyALK ABOUT a strange game, Richmond’s 28-

21 victory over William & Mary. Whatever it was it 

wasn’t football, at least not in the classic sense.

Bad – make that stupid – penalties plagued UR in the first 

half when they trailed 14-0 … only to watch the home 

team become its own worst enemy in similar fashion after 

the break.

Combined the teams had 19 penalties for 201 yards. 

Neither deserved to win. Richmond lost QB KYLE

 WICKERSHAM, whose passing (12 for 18, 128 yards, 

2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) brought the Spiders 

from behind, to an injury, and it didn’t matter. They

harassed Tribe QB TYLER HUGHES just enough to 

make the difference as both sides finished the season 7-5.

During Saturday’s game, very (too?) low-key TV analyst

 SHAWN KNIGHT brought back memories of a former 

W&M sports information director (and old friend). “As 

the late BOB SHEERAN used to say, when the officials 

huddle, nothing good can happen,” Knight said.

Two-time All-Yankee Conference quarterback, Knight 

played for JIMMYE LAYCOCK at William & Mary, 

setting an NCAA record for passing efficiency (69.4 

completion percentage) as a redshirt junior in 1993. For 

his four-year career, the Norfolk native finished with 

impressive numbers – like, 5,705 yards passing, 46 

touchdowns and 6,408 yards of total offense.

Among his teammates in Williamsburg were current NFL 

coaches SEAN McDERMOTT (Bills) and MIKE 

TOMLIN (Steelers), who also was Knight’s roommate.

***** FINALLY, BASED on what we saw in two hotly-

contested games played on a makeshift court at the 

Greenbrier resort, new Virginia basketball coach RYAN 

ODOM (cliché alert) has his work cut out for him.

I know, I know no one, least of all Dave’s kid, thought it 

would be easy, bringing the Cavaliers back to being a 

force in the ACC … but Odom has the always-difficult, 

occasionally-impossible problem of convincing a bunch 

of talented players to play as one and not separately.

In particular, freshman point guard CHANCE 

MALLORY, who was used to doing it all in high school 

yet somehow must understand he can be a liability at this 

level by trying to force things and not get his teammates 

involved in the offense more often than he did especially 

last time out against Butler in UVA’s first loss after five 

wins.

Until next time ...

(To comment, please send to mbl749@comcast.net)