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http://www.usctrojans.com/blog/2012/11/game-balls.html

Game Balls
By Jordan Moore on November 7, 2012 7:46 PM | No Comments

A USC football student manager has been relieved of all duties with the Trojan football team for intentionally deflating, below NCAA-regulated levels, some game footballs used by USC's team during the first half in last Saturday's game against Oregon.

Game officials discovered and re-inflated three of the balls before the game and two others at halftime. All balls were regulation in the second half.

When informed of this allegation by the Pac-12, USC investigated it immediately. The student manager confirmed that he had, without the knowledge of, or instruction from, any USC student-athlete, coach, staff member or administrator, deflated those game balls after they had been tested and approved by officials prior to the game.

As a result, the Pac-12 reprimanded USC and imposed a fine.

What was that song? You know, Elvis sang it.

That's it! "I Believe". Then,again, maybe not.

So, that's what took the air out of SC in the 1st quarter.

Wonder if one of those balls affected the missed pat or the missed field goal

What possible advantage would this give them?

Soft footballs for a soft team.

Sadly, this sounds like something Kiffin would do.

Bud Lee wrote:What possible advantage would this give them?

Underinflated footballs typically travel at a slower speed than fully inflated balls and are thought to be easier to catch and throw.

duckfan22 wrote:

Bud Lee wrote:What possible advantage would this give them?

Underinflated footballs typically travel at a slower speed than fully inflated balls and are thought to be easier to catch and throw.

But if they are traveling slower, wouldn't that give the D more time to make a play? I mean, the slower the ball is going, the more time it is in the air, therefore giving the defensive players more time to close on the receiver and/or swat the ball? I get the part about being easier to catch and how that would be advantageous for USC but the traveling slower thing doesn't quite make sense to me...

Underinflated balls pose an advantage because they are softer and easier to grip, creating an advantage for both the QB when throwing and the WR when catching, speed of travel have nothing to do with it.

To the person who asked about the field goal and extra point. Teams have their own game balls. The ball that USC uses on offense is not the same ball that Oregon uses.

Duck24 wrote:

duckfan22 wrote:

Bud Lee wrote:What possible advantage would this give them?

Underinflated footballs typically travel at a slower speed than fully inflated balls and are thought to be easier to catch and throw.

But if they are traveling slower, wouldn't that give the D more time to make a play? I mean, the slower the ball is going, the more time it is in the air, therefore giving the defensive players more time to close on the receiver and/or swat the ball? I get the part about being easier to catch and how that would be advantageous for USC but the traveling slower thing doesn't quite make sense to me...

Yeah you're correct, the amount of air let out is probably inconsequential to ball speed; as I doubt they completely deflated them. A slightly deflated ball does make them easier to catch, throw, and grip. It's a ball security advantage for sure.

squintsdd wrote:Underinflated balls pose an advantage because they are softer and easier to grip, creating an advantage for both the QB when throwing and the WR when catching, speed of travel have nothing to do with it.

To the person who asked about the field goal and extra point. Teams have their own game balls. The ball that USC uses on offense is not the same ball that Oregon uses.

I did not know that, thanks.

Most balls are inflated to either 12 or 14PSI, IIRC. Cutting it down 2 lbs wouls benefit the QB (Better grip) and the receiver (Better ability to catch the ball, especially in tight/contested situations).

Punting and kicking, not so much. Ball would tend not to travel as far.

If the offending party also handled the balls on exchanges with the refs, it might be possible to make situational switches.

Something tells me that if Lane dose not win this weekend he is gone

Lee/Barkley would still have torched us with completely inflated balls, just saying

Bud Lee wrote:Something tells me that if Lane dose not win this weekend he is gone

I think they keep him until the sanctions are over.

This explains how Ifo and Kiko made those great interceptions...