IVLIANVS said:
My pitiful 2¢ - regardless of the spot call and the missed review - our defenders left them enough space to get the first down with extra breathing room. Had the call gone the other way, it would not have been to the credit of our defenders, but attributed to the mistakes of their offense.
Even if you can convince yourself that it was pressure on the QB that caused that ball to be thrown short, causing the spot to be less than the first down, our defense still allowed Howell too much time. Enough time to watch his receiver get 17+ yards downfield with separation, and then under throw that catchable ball to him. That is the kind of thing that the pass rush should not have allowed to happen on a 4th down.
Like I said, my 2¢, which is probably worth about just that much.
My guess is that UM was in some sort of zone coverage, at least on that side of the field. In zone coverage, there are weak spots and holes. This throw went to the 6'3", 245 TE. While I don't know where he came from, my guess is that he came out late, either by coming from the other side of the field, or blocking first, and then releasing and sneaking out. In the photo, you can see our defenders, a backer and a d-back, recognizing late what was happening and desperately trying to get to the play. Obviously, they were not close to it. The throw was so weak and not far enough, that I wonder if the qb had rolled to the right a bit, or was looking right, and then turned and lobbed it up as he was about to get hit.