Following Utah’s bizarre and disappointing 38-37 loss to the Air Force Academy Saturday afternoon, quarterback Lance Rice and offensive coordinator Craig Ver Steeg have immediately agreed to enroll in Sprint PCS’s “Free and Clear Plan,” in order to eliminate the static which led to one confused quarterback and a bonehead play.
The miscommunication between the two came on the biggest play of the upset, which started with 0:08 ticks left on the clock. Rice, Utah’s sophomore quarterback, had driven his team to the Air Force 12-yard line.
Facing a third down, Rice received mixed messages from Ver Steeg, who was high above in the press box, and a world away from the field. Ver Steeg had sent down a play to take a shot into the endzone.
The call from the sideline was to spike the ball in the middle of the field, setting up kicker Ryan Kaneshiro for a 29 or 30 yard chip shot field goal. Rice went with the call from Ver Steeg, which resulted in chaos. Rice scrambled, but with no timeouts needed to get to the sideline. The quarterback ran to the 4-yard line, but was tackled by Falcon linebacker Anthony Schlegel as time expired.
The game resulted in a Utah loss because of a miscommunication, one that could have been diverted.
The “Free and Clear” package will cost the athletics department $79.99 a month, but the first month is free. The plan, which will be installed into Ver Steeg’s headset and the helmet of the quarterback, allows the two to use 1,000 anytime minutes and 2,000 night and weekend minutes.
The plan may appear to be pricey and extraneous, considering the team only has its Christmas Day bowl game left, but it is a cost Athletics Director Chris Hill is willing to accept.
“I am willing to pledge whatever it takes from the athletics department to make sure that doesn’t happen again. We definitely can’t have this happen again in Las Vegas, when the whole nation and college football world is watching,” said Hill.
“I think it is a positive step for the team,” said coach Ronnie Mac. “We looked like idiots Saturday.”
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