by Malcolm Butler
Something about Tuesday night had that “it just isn’t meant to be” feel to it for me.
And ultimately, it wasn’t as the Bulldogs fell 28-27 in overtime to WKU at Joe Aillet Stadium.
Personally, Tuesday night was a little strange for me. It was the first Tech home football game since 1998 that I haven’t worked. I sat in the club level of the DAC and tried to remember what it was like to be a fan.
My “it just isn’t meant to be” feeling started in the first quarter. With Tech leading 7-3, former Ruston High Bearcat Zheric Hill obliterated WKU quarterback Rodney Tisdale on a blitz. Obliterated him. Textbook tackle.
Hill’s hit forced a fumble that Tech recovered deep in Hilltopper territory. The Bulldog sideline went wild. Tech fans did too.
The Tech offense trotted out onto the field. The WKU defense too.
Ready to run a play.
That is, until, referee Reed Brotherton blew his whistle and made the announcement “the last play is under review.”
Under review for what, I thought? To see if they could find Tisdale’s soul which had basically been separated from his body on the hit by Hill?
Nope. Not so lucky.
Replay shows a textbook tackle. Photos show it too. Hill never launched himself at Tisdale. He never used the crown of his helmet. He simply ran through … literally through … Tisdale on the way to his first career sack.
Of course minutes later, Brotherton took off the replay headset to announce that Hill was going to be flagged for targeting. 15-yard penalty. Hill ejected from game. Football goes back to the Hilltoppers.
It was just the first quarter, but it was a huge momentum-shifting, game-changing call by the striped shirts who never threw a flag on the play.
I’ve watched the replay numerous times. There is no way you can convince me it was targeting. I even had two buddies of mine who are refs text me saying there were no aspects of targeting on the play.
It was the first time during the game, but not the last, that I overheard Tech fans say they won’t miss Conference USA officials in any sport when the school makes the move to the Sun Belt next year.
Point well taken.
The next “it just isn’t meant to be” moment came in the waning moments of the first half. Tech trailed 20-7, but the Bulldogs offense had driven down the field.
With half a minute to play in the quarter, Blake Baker completed a pass to Jalen Mickens that set up a fourth down and two from the WKU 5-yard line. Clock running.
Tech fans wanted Sonny Cumbie to use his final time out when the tackle was made with 25 seconds left. They wanted him to go for it. Be aggressive. Personally, I wanted him to do it too.
But, I understood when he let the clock run down to one second and called the timeout. Sonny wanted to make sure the Dogs got three points and a little feel good going into the halftime locker room, knowing Tech was getting the ball to start the third quarter.
Take the points. A lot of coaches would have done the same thing.
Only problem was the Bulldogs botched the center to holder snap and what amounted to an extra point field goal was never attempted.
So instead of points and some momentum, all the Bulldogs took into the locker room was a cascade of boos from some of the Tech faithful.
Just wasn’t meant to be.
Or was it.
In a day and age where kickoff returns are few and far between due to the leg strength of college kickers, the Bulldogs got an opportunity to start the third quarter and made the most of it.
A little razzle dazzle throwback on the return led Devin Gandy 92 yards to paydirt as life was breathed back into Joe Aillet Stadium.
20-14 the good guys still trailed, but had some juice back.
The Bulldog defense came out in the second half and played as well as they have this year against a tough WKU offense. They kept Tech in the game. Gave themselves a chance.
Six offensive possessions by WKU in the third and fourth quarters amounted to ZERO points. Twenty plays and only 80 yards. That unit did it’s job.
Offensively, Tech got inside the WKU 10-yard line twice in the second half. And both times the drives stalled, forcing field goals instead of touchdowns.
And each time it had that “it just isn’t meant to be” feel to it for me.
It did appear as if the Tech special teams units had done it again with just under five minutes to play in the third quarter when Cedric Wood fielded a punt and raced 65 yards for a TD that would have given the Bulldogs the lead.
I knew better. As the Tech crowd was partying, I didn’t allow myself to celebrate. Instead, I scanned the field for a flag. Surely these guys weren’t going to let the Dogs take the lead, right?
Right. On the complete other side of the field from where the return had happened, there it lay. The little yellow hanky.
“Block in the back” said Brotherton moments later as the ball was brought back and the points taken off the scoreboard.
It’s just not meant to be, I thought once again.
However, I began to let myself believe late in the fourth. The Bulldogs blocked a WKU go-ahead field goal with just under two minutes to play. Tech football in a tie game.
Could that feeling have just been indigestion?
As Tech lined up for the game-winning 57-yard field goal attempt on the final play, I let myself hope.
Nope. Blocked.
Overtime it was.
Tech came out on its OT possession and the offense scored a TD in five plays. The extra point gave the Dogs a 27-20 lead.
Maybe it was meant to be?
The Bulldog defense was so so good in the second half. And with the game on the line, it appeared as though they may make the game-sealing play.
Twice in OT they needed just one stop.
The first time came on fourth down and 10 when Tisdale threw a strike low to the ground that somehow WKU receiver Matthew Henry scraped off the top of the artificial turf with a Tech defender diving with Henry.
At first watch I didn’t think the was any way he could have made that catch.
It was called a catch on the field and was confirmed as such with instant replay. First down. Fresh set of downs.
Four plays later the Hilltoppers scored. But instead of going for the extra point and to send it to a second overtime, WKU elected to go for the win.
Tech needed just one stop.
As Tisdale rolled out on the two-point conversion, the entire flow of the Tech defense rolled with him. I had a birds eye view from the Davison Athletics Center Club Level as it was in the south endzone.
Tisdale was under duress. There was a mass of humanity between him and the endzone. Hell, there was a mass of humanity in the endzone too.
Finally, running out of time, Tisdale threw back across his body … and K.D. Hutchinson came down with the catch for the conversion and the WKU win.
Nope. It wasn’t indigestion.
It truly was a night that just wasn’t meant to be.
As much as it sucked to watch this unravel from my view above the south endzone, it did provide me a reminder that sometimes I need.
While the WKU players ran around celebrating, the Tech players and coaches were gutted. Defensive players were laying on the ground in the endzone. Some were crouching, helmets off and head in their hands in disbelief. Some were consoling teammates. There was a lot of pain and emotion in their faces.
It was a good reminder for me that “us fans” aren’t the only ones who hurt when our beloved Bulldogs lose. Those Bulldogs hurt too.
