WHATEVER GAME OFFICIALS WERE WATCHING ... IT WASN'T WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA

 Lots of different stuff ...

Why is it the calls that are missed (any sport, you name it) 

invariably have greater significance than those recognized 

in error?

Saturday night, in Charlottesville, Virginia’s 14th-ranked 

Cavaliers lost QB CHANDLER MORRIS to a late hit 

that by any definition was targeting by Wake Forest’s

 TRAVON WEST… who, nevertheless, was allowed to 

remain in the game.

Without the player most responsible for the Hoos’ 

turnaround this season, underdog Wake ended their 

seven-game winning streak, 16-9.

Morris went down with more than eight minutes left in 

the first half, running for a first down then doing the 

familiar “quarterback slide” as Deacon defenders were 

closing in. 

Invariably, opponents will pull up and refrain from hitting 

the suddenly-defenseless runner. Or, at the very least, try 

to avoid him.

West did neither. He came on, low and hard, and with 

Morris on the ground, facing him, the redshirt sophomore 

led with his helmet, striking his target a glancing blow 

head to head … while driving his left knee and leg in to 

Morris’s midsection.

No question the transfer by way of Oklahoma, Texas 

Christian and North Texas State was hurt, and ESPN’s

 RODDY JONESquickly said it was targeting, implying 

West should be ejected.

Cut to three minutes of commercials. When they returned, 

we heard the referee said something about a 15 yard 

penalty for unnecessary roughness. “The ref got that

 right,” Jones said.

The network didn’t bother to tell us if ACC command 

center in Charlotte was brought in to determine whether 

there was targeting on the play. And it was never 

mentioned again.

Field reporter QUINT KESSINICH

reported UVA coach TONY ELLIOTT informed the 

Cavalier radio network that Morris would not return to 

the game but the former All-American lacrosse goalie at 

Johns Hopkins never informed viewers what the injuries 

were … and the extent thereof. Morris walked off the 

field, with some help, and went to the locker room ,,, 

returning to watch the second half from the sideline.

Meanwhile, the broadcast crew turned its attention to 

backup QB DANIEL KAELIN, who caught the Wake 

defense by surprise, keeping the ball on an option and 

running down the left sideline for what should have been 

a 62-yard go-ahead touchdown.

Instead, the Hoos had to settle for the second of three 

field goals by WILL BETTRIDGE after UVA had a first 

and goal at the Deac eight yard line.

At 6-3, 220 pounds, Kaelin isn’t fast, and he lumbered 

toward the end zone looking around, expecting someone 

to catch up to him at any moment. As a result, he 

inadvertently stepped out of bounds at least twice en route 

before diving for the flag while being caught from behind.

The officials elected to put the ball on the eight. On third 

and goal from the three, Virginia (8-2) came out in a trick 

formation that placed three linemen and a potential 

receiver wide right and left. Kaelin threw left but the 

receiver opted to run where it was congested and never 

had a chance … rather than to the right where there was 

some room to score.

A transfer from Nebraska, Kaelin was a respectable 18 of 

28 for 145 yards passing but couldn’t make The Big Play. 

He also was guilty of two of the team’s three lost fumbles 

after Virginia came into the game one of only three teams 

nationally that had not fumbled the ball away.

Still, in spite of all their troubles on offense, the Hoos 

could have won it. With time running out, they had a 

fourth and two at the Wake five yard line.

Kaelin had plenty of time but his soft pass intended for 6-3, 221-pound JAHMAL EDRINE in the right corner of 

the end zone was broken up (easily) by LADARIOUS 

WEBB JR., a 5-9, 165-pound redshirt senior transfer 

from South Alabama by way of Oklahoma State … 

whose father starred in the secondary for the Baltimore 

Ravens.

“The guy they’ve been picking on all night broke it up,” said ESPN’s lead announcer MARK JONES, “...and broke the hearts of Cavalier fans.”

ZAC JONES was among four players summoned by the 

Buffalo Sabres from their AHL farm team, the Rochester 

Americans, Friday.

It marked the second time this season the 25 year old 

defenseman from Richmond had been called up – and, 

once again, he did not play. Jones was a healthy scratch 

for Saturday night’s 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, 

the first of a five-game road trip.

The Sabres (5-6-4) never led once ANDRE 

SVECHNIKOVskated around defenseman MATTIAS 

SAMUELSSON then fed SEBASTIAN AHO midway 

throught period one. OWEN POWER knotted the score 

minutes later but the Hurricanes ran off the next five goals 

that left Buffalo with the worst record in the Eastern 

Conference..

Injuries ... in addition to defenseman and captain

 RASMUS DAHLIN taking some personal time to go 

home to Sweden to be with his fiance, recovering from a 

heart transplant … have depleted the Sabres’ lineup 

especially among the top six forwards. 

Jones was the American Hockey League’s runaway 

scoring leader among defensemen with 13 points, all 

assists, when called to Buffalo. A free agent after 

spending his first five years as a pro with the New York 

Rangers, he signed a two-way, one-year contract this 

summer with the Sabres.

The road trip resumes Wednesday at Utah. From there 

they go to Colorado Thursday then to Detroit Saturday 

before returning home Monday for a date with Edmonton.

VIRGINIA UNION alumnus CHARLES OAKLEY

 doesn’t think much of another former NBA heavyweight 

CHARLES BARKLEY.

In fact, Oakley isn’t a fan of the rest of Barkley’s studio 

mates on TNT as well.

Listen.

“They commentate, [but] they’re not educating people 

about the game,” he said this week on “The Art of 

Dialogue” podcast. “[Barkley is] just talking. If you listen 

to him, something is wrong with you.

“Everyone thinks his opinion is so good … [but] he ain’t 

saying nothing. TNT and them guys, they do more 

clowning around than they do telling people about the 

game.”

KNOW WHAT? PETE CARROLL might have done

 TOM McMAHON a favor.

In his first season as Las Vegas Raiders’ coach, Carroll 

fired McMahon, his special teams’ coach, following 

Thursday’s 10-7 loss to Denver. The decision dropped the 

punchless, defensive-poor Raiders to 2-7, and Carroll had 

to blame someone.

So he picked on McMahon after his punter had one blocked, and his kicker missed a gimme (not) field goal in 

windy conditions. He also was errant on an extra point 

earlier in the season that reportedly cost the Raiders a 

victory.

Carroll inherited McMahon, who came to Vegas in 2022 

and left having worked for three different coaches. This 

was his NFL stop working with special teams, having 

started his post-graduate career at alma mater … Carroll 

(no relation) College. 

TRUST ME … being a Manchester United fan is (fill in 

the appropriate negative description of which there are 

many).

Yesterday, given a chance to take over sole possession of 

third place (possibly as high as second) in the English 

Premier League, the Red Devils blew it, pure and simple.

Now, I know, I know … this no longer is the dominant 

ManU of the SIR ALEX FERGUSON days of not that 

long ago. Nevertheless, it still spends as much (or more) 

than any other team … yet continues to break hearts with 

terrible results.

Take the Devils’ latest misadventure. (Please!) They led 

homestanding Tottenham 52 minutes only to allow two 

goals in five minutes, the second coming at the outset of 

six minutes of extra time on a shot from way outside the 

box. 

The first was an own goal of a shot deflected by 

defender MATTHIJIS DE LIGT who then kept them 

from total embarrassment by heading home a corner kick 

with less than a minute remaining … and his team 

playing a man down.

With a victory, and the three points that goes with it, 

Manchester United would have moved into sole 

possession of second place with 20 points.

Instead, by settling for one point, it wound up the day 

with 18, as did Tottenham and three others. However, the 

Devils stood seventh because of goal differential. 

“They are top 6, max … and that would be a step in the 

right direction,” said former EPL star ROBBIE EARLE, 

now a regular in NBC/Peacock’s futbol studio.

Ouch! And double ouch!

Until next time ...