In his first loss as a starting NFL center, West Virginia alumnus Zach Frazier had a bit of a rough day -- even if it wasn't really his own fault.
The Steelers dropped a 27-24 decision to the Indianapolis Colts to fall to 3-1. As the Steelers were driving down field in the waning moments of play hoping to tie the matchup or take the lead, Frazier sent a snap back to Steelers quarterback Justin Fields which Fields clearly wasn't anticipating. It appeared that Fields was trying to get one last read of the defense before the play went live, and Frazier's snap rocketed back and into the facemask of Fields before bouncing to the turf.
The Steelers would recover, but it set back the drive and they would be unable to recover, going on to take their first loss of the year. Normally, WVU fans who watched Frazier in Morgantown for four years are surprised to see even the slightest mistake from the Fairmont native. The thing is, he didn't really mess up here either.
Watching back on film, it's clear that guard Mason McCormick tapped Frazier, which is the signal between the two when McCormick sees that Fields has signaled for the snap to let Frazier know it's time to send the ball back.
Yeah, I was wrong here. This shows it all. McCormick saw the signal and gave Frazier the tap. Onus falls on Fields at that point.
— Donny Football (@DonChed54) September 30, 2024
pic.twitter.com/8qnv3x20j7
Frazier said in a post-game interview
"I was in the middle of making a call when I got the tap, just got the call out, and I just have to snap it. I don't know what happened on it, but it's unfortunate," he said.
Former Steelers lineman and Super Bowl champion Trai Essex reviewed the film and said he also believes Frazier did nothing wrong on the play, while Fields took blame personally for the botched snap.
“Yeah, it was my fault,” Fields said. “We were running the first leg kick, and Zach was and stuff. I felt the rotating and changing the back-end picture. So he was ID’ing stuff, telling the O-line where to go, I was just trying to get that final picture before the snap came. So, at the end of the day, it was on the first leg kick. So after I kicked my leg up, I’ve got to be ready for the ball, no matter when it's going to come or not. So, yeah, it’s on me.”