This penalty for blocking out of bounds might've cost WVU a Big 12 title shot

A rarely called personal foul penalty in the fourth quarter proved to be quite costly for the Mountaineers and negated what likely would have been a go-ahead WVU TD. Mountaineer quarterback Will Grier found running back Kennedy McCoy for a long run and dive toward the goal line.

However, the gain was negated. The reasoning for the penalty was that WVU receiver T.J. Simmons kept blocking an Oklahoma DB well after they both went out of bounds:

West Virginia had a big run called back because T.J. Simmons kept blocking an Oklahoma DB out of bounds....
And two plays later, Will Grier fumbled, Oklahoma took it back for a TD. Brutal! pic.twitter.com/eseIz4cwaB
— #FreePhillipDorsett (@ftbeard_17) November 24, 2018

It’s a rare penalty you don’t hear all that often. Here’s the only thing the NCAA rulebook says regarding blocking out of bounds:

Late Hit, Action Out of Bounds

ARTICLE 7.

[...]

c. It is illegal for any player to be clearly out of bounds when he initiates a block against an opponent who is out of bounds. The spot of the foul is where the blocker crosses the sideline in going out of bounds.

Simmons clearly didn’t “initiate” the block against an opponent who was out of bounds. The block was already underway. This appeared to be somewhat of an improvisation by the official, but you can see his reasoning. The defender was already well off the field and far out of the play. You can’t drive a defender all the way into the crowd, right?

Just a few plays later, Grier fumbled the football, and it was returned for a touchdown to put the game further out of reach for the Mountaineers. Their eventual comeback would fall short.

Obviously WVU fans didn’t like this call in a critical moment, but it’s pretty easy to see why the flag was thrown there.

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