For the gamblers out there....surprised not to see this detailed earlier...
So did anybody else have LSU -7?
Because if you did...
LSU led for most of the second half by 14-7 but was generally moving the ball better than Iowa. When the Hawkeyes missed a gimme field goal, and later threw an interception deep in LSU territory, it was finally money time. With 5 minutes to go, LSU put a real drive together behind some outstanding power running by Jeremy Hill, the bengals finally got their TD and went up 21-7 with just two minutes to go. And I felt damn good about my bet...
...for the length of a commercial break. Iowa ran back the ensuing kickoff to the house and we were back looking at a push. But then...
...replay showed the kick returner stepped out at the LSU 5 yard line. So it was still 21-7 with about 1:40 to play. First and goal on the five isn't exactly a great situation, but at least there was still a chance to win the bet. And then...
...a heavy sack of the Iowa QB on first down. Fumble. Recovered by LSU. My seven point cover is SAFE! Screaming with joy, and then....
....the referees overturn the on-the-field fumble call and rule the play an incomplete pass. It was a very borderline call (Gruden felt it was a fumble and, in any event, too close to be overturned), but the refs gave the ball back to Iowa. On the next play, Iowa scored and it was back to a push at 21-14 with about a minute and a half left. And then...
After covering the inside kick, LSU somehow botches the chance to just run out the clock and winds up punting it back to Iowa with 8 seconds to go. The Hawkeyes embark on one of the wild "keep laterraling it" plays and steadily are moving the ball backward to their own end zone trying to avoiding getting tackled. And the laterals are pretty wild and I'm thinking they're about to thrown one out of their own end zone, or set up an LSU fumble recovery in he end zone to get me back to cover-ville. And, sure enough, an IOwa player is about to be tackled in the end zone when he bats the ball forward to a teammate around the 5-yard line, who promptly fumbles out of bounds. Time is out, but the refs, correctly, throw a flag for illegal batting. The foul took place in the end zone... Automatic safety. LSU would go up 23-14 and cover!! But then...
Miles, unsurprisingly, declines the penalty and takes the 21-14 win and the push. I know that's the sportsmanlike thing to do and I was hardly surprised, but I'd think at a super corrupt institution like LSU, the head coach would honor the gamblers and do everything within his power to deliver the cover.
You let me down Miles, you really let me down.
