Not sure if there's anything to this, but when I looked at the VUK that's under Gene, one of the screws attaching it to the bracket had fallen out, and the other one was on its way out. With the VUK loose and moving around, the ball could easily travel through that long VUK tunnel in a way that wasn't intended. This might contribute to the STDM issue if the ball doesn't get the type of kick it needs.

Once I put the other screw back in and tightened the other one (and those screws look easily to strip--careful!), I didn't have any SDTM shots. Time will tell.

Is this a "standard" VUK? Or is this a higher-powered one (or one that's getting driven harder) that is more prone to rattle itself lose?

Regardless, This game should still have a quick ball save that activates during a spit, like Flight Insurance on the Yagov kick on F-14.