September 16, 2006
Lucky Ducks: Sooners get hosed by officials
The Sooner Nation is up in arms --rightfully so-- over calls made late in the Oregon game, and with good reason. The Ducks won 34-33, but trailed by 14 points with just 1:12 to play. Oregon scored their final two touchdowns with a little help from several questionable calls that baffled even the ABC crew calling the game.
After closing to within six, Oregon attempted an onside kick. The ball was touched by Oregon's Brian Paysinger before it traveled the required ten yards, but recovered by an OU player after a scrum. Officials called it Ducks ball. On review, the ball was touched by Oregon, but the play stood. Sooner fans were furious - rightly so -- becuase if you take a look at the screen caps or even the video of the play, you can see that an OU player recovered the ball - penalty or not.
Minutes later, Oklahoma was called for pass interference on a ball that was tipped near the line of scrimmage. OU coach Bob Stoops was dismayed by the call and explained to the officials that the ball was tipped. The ABC crew pointed out that the trajectory of the ball was changed by the tip, but replay officials allowed the call to stand, leading to a go-ahead touchdown by Oregon.
Without question, the onside kick and pass interference calls combined for one of the lowest points by officials and replay crews this season. Those two blown calls completely changed the outcome of the game. Even the Oregon home radio crew conceded that the Sooners were robbed.
OU fans are sounding off:
Got to love that PAC 10 homecookin' by the officials. Hey Ducks if you can get those officials to call every game for you this season you will for sure win the PAC 10. Those officials were worst than the ones for Lubbock. Actual final score 33-27 OU. Even the Oregon radio guys admitted it. Best of luck cheaters! You are going to need it.
From Andy via email:
The Oregon versus Oklahoma game was a blatant case of cheating by the officiating crew in order to give the game to Oregon. It was apparent that the two fraud calls given to Oregon at the end of the game decided this game for Oregon instead of letting the players on the field decide the outcome.
From Trinh via email:
The officials upstairs might need to get some work done on their eyes. Either that or they were getting paid by Oregon. They reviewed and miscalled two plays in the Oklahoma, Oregon game. Both calls had conclusive video showing that an Oregon player had touched the ball first on the kick off in the late 4th quarter, and that the ball had been tipped by an OU player on the past interference call in the late 4th quarter. Two calls which would could have, and mostly likely would have, had Oklahoma winning. It's just ridiculous. Why have them reviewing plays if they aren't going to go off of the video evidence?
Some classy Duck have posted apologies on the SoonerFans Message Boards:
I'm sorry for the bad officiating - especially that onside kick call. It feels pretty crappy to win like this. It would have been much better for the Ducks, had we had a close game and LOST, then to win in this way. There's no validity in this win. It's a shallow victory and I'm not rejoicing over it at all. I can practically see the headlines in the paper tomorrow: "Lucky Ducks".
Even football writers are blasting the officials:
Matt Zemek - Scout.com
Memo to the people of the fine state of Oklahoma: don't riot or do anything destructive tonight... even though you'd be justified to feel like doing something violent. After all, this game was violently taken away from a deserving bunch of Sooners by inept officiating and even more inept replay evaluators.
OU got screwed by the refs - no question. The sad part of the situation is... OU can also point the finger at themselves. After getting the ball to the Oregon 2-yard line earlier in the game, the Sooners proceeded to go backwards play after play. The Sooners walked away with just three points, but had they scored the touchdown - even the refs couldn't have prevented the OU win.
UPDATE #1 - 9/18/2006: University of Oklahoma President David Boren has contacted the Big XII Commish asking for the Oklahoma - Oregon game to be stricken from both teams records, for the Pac-10 officials involved in the game to be suspended for one game, and for the Pac-10 to issue an apology to OU.
"To describe the lapses in accurate officiating at the Oklahoma-Oregon football game last Saturday as constituting an outrageous injustice is an understatement,'' Boren wrote in the letter dated Monday.
A full copy of President Boren's letter is available as a pdf file here.
UPDATE #2 9-18-2006: The Pac-10 conference has suspended the officials involved in the Oregon-Oklahoma game for one game. After the suspension, the conference will monitor their work.
Comments:
Rick Henson said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:33 AM — 68.161.151.55 — link — abuse?
Check the box b4 you say ducks were lucky. ALL stats were in our favor -- LOSER
First Downs 18 27
Passing 9 14
Rushing 8 12
Penalty 1 1
Third Down Efficiency 4-14 8-14
Fourth Down Efficiency 1-1 1-1
TOTAL NET YARDS 370 504
Cuda said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:43 AM — 24.22.65.30 — link — abuse?
Forget that crap.The on-sideside kick was questionable, but it counter-balanced the OU conversion when Thompson passed to Kelly to the UO 47 when they DID NOT GET IT OFF IN TIME. The Ducks' offense did not look good today, but still did enough to win. The Ducks' offense played like garbage, but still survived. Stewart is a incredible back and Dixon is the sh*t. This year is looking good, but next year, watch out!
Kent said:
posted on September 17, 2006 2:01 AM — 24.20.79.200 — link — abuse?
I came here to say that I was really impressed with your team and, after the controversial ending, your coach at his post-game press conference. Both handled themselves very well. OU didn't get down on itself early and battled back and Oregon didn't quit (which they will do on occasion) and persevered.
Look, I went to Oregon and I think that I can be pretty objective about 'em. Can you be objective about OU? Seriously, college football is so tight since scholarships were reduced that most teams in the, say, Top 40 can beat each other on any given weekend.
Didn't OU have a couple of calls go in its favor earlier in the game? I think that they did and I didn't call for the refs' head or claim that they were cheating.
The onside kick? Please, that was so close that if you didn't have replay to show it from every angle you would even know what had happened...oh wait...every angle still didn't show what happened. However that play had been called would have been inconclusive for the video replay because the spot where the ball was touched by the Oregon player was seen at an angle and too close to overturn.
Now, the PI call WAS a terrible one and you have every to be angry with it. I'd hope that most refs would know that a ball abruptly changing direction had been tipped.
All in all, it was a good game (exciting at least) with a number of good plays, some bad ones, and some questionable officiating. Maybe there's a respect thing going on, in which Oregon's not possible able to beat a storied university like OU? I don't know, but Oregon's pretty good and has been pretty good for a good decade now.
Rob Henderson said:
posted on September 17, 2006 2:04 AM — 24.22.65.6 — link — abuse?
I am a duck fan and live here in Eugene. First of all, check your stats again and try to be accurate.
I do agree that the officials gave UO 2 huge breaks that challanged the outcome of the game. I have no argument for the rediculous onside kick review. My question is this; where was your clock management? Oklahoma wasting their last time out for a better look at special teams was stupid. Oklahoma should have still won that game. You manage the clock like your supose to, with that last, amazing, kick off return, and you chip-shot an easy feild goal, sooners win by 2. No excuses for the officials, But no excuses for poor coaching.Alex said:
posted on September 17, 2006 4:56 AM — 24.22.32.222 — link — abuse?
"Classy ducks give apologies." So someone is only classy if they agree with you. Well I might as well just forget about collegiality here since I am dealing with a bunch of whiners. Here you Sooner fans are ranting and raving about calls at the END of the game. Did you watch the whole game? Did you watch your receiver push off in the end zone? Did you watch the play clock expire to zero before one of your touchdowns! Did you watch the gratuitous spot by the officials that led to Peterson's only touchdown??? All of you Sooner fans are complaining about plays at the end of the game, but guess what? All of the plays that occurred during the game and bad officiating calls during the game led to the outcome of the game as well and that is why YOU NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT THE OFFICIATING! If you want to complain about something why don't you complain about the fact that the Ducks roared down the field on your defense and scored fourteen points in twenty two seconds how about that! As for me, I will complain about how our offense choked up four turnovers that allowed all of you sooner fans to have a prayer in the first place!
The refs made the right call at the end of the game. Everyone seems to be forgetting about the angle that was shown on television that shows the sooner receiver on the onside kick put his hand through the paysinger's arm contributing to INCONCLUSIVE video evidence. The refs made the right call. They reviewed the play more extensively than you did at home and obviously they figured giving the Sooner's the ball back would have been the wrong call because then the game would have ended on a questionable call. INSTEAD THEY ALLOWED THE GAME TO GO ON AND LET IT BE DETERMINED ON THE FIELD... oh and guess what... Sooner defense folded! So why don't you talk a little bit more about that and do a little less whining about officiating, which as a long time duck fan I have realized will get you nowhere. We have been left out of far too many BCS bowl games not to have learned that lots of issues in a game are out of a team's control and it only matters how you respond to them. Bottom line, ducks responded positively Sooners negatively... Ducks win!
posted on September 17, 2006 7:33 AM — link — abuse?Kevin Donahue said:
It's one thing to be self-righteous and try to slam OU fans for being pissed at the officials. If that's your stance, blast away.
It's another thing completely when football writers and pundits say that OU got robbed. Matt from Scout could care less if OU or UO won, but he is blasting the officiating. Is Matt a whiner?
Don't get lost so lost defending your team that you fail to recognize the growing consensus, Duck fans.
Mark said:
posted on September 17, 2006 10:33 AM — 24.1.108.171 — link — abuse?
Bad calls happen, that's a fact of life. If OU had lost under the no-replay system, then this would have been an annoying loss, but after that you get up and move on.
The problem is that the replay system was implemented to try to prevent situations like this from being game-changing. Since both plays were reviewed, and incorrectly called, there's still a problem.
If were going to have instant replay, then it needs to be done correctly, or we should just go back to the old, imperfect system.
Greg said:
posted on September 17, 2006 10:33 AM — 216.150.97.243 — link — abuse?
The only way Oregon can beat OU is to do the following.
1. Play at home.
2. Have PAC 10 refs. (cheat).Homecookin' football fans! Hope you Oregon folks really feel good about your win. OU's D does need a lot of work, but not near as much work as does the PAC 10 refs.
zoo said:
posted on September 17, 2006 10:51 AM — 66.167.128.214 — link — abuse?
onside kick being debateble is perhaps the stupidest comment coming out of a ducks fan's mouth. what's questionable about the ball being in OU's possession when the play is over.
first problem: UO offsides on kick. (2 players, even)
second problem: UO touches ball before it crosses 10 yards.
third problem and the point that should render all other blatant penalties null and void: OU has sole possession of the ball and it's still awarded to UO. if you can't smell home cookin' on this one, perhaps you should pull your nose out of the ref's/replay tech's bum and try for cleaner air.someone needs to get over themselves for sure, and i think it's the people taking pride in win that isn't a victory. embarrassing. seriously.
Jake said:
posted on September 17, 2006 10:55 AM — 72.183.241.5 — link — abuse?
To Alex, the Oregon fan: You mentioned calls throughout the game that went the Sooners way? Are you kidding me? First of all, we didn't score a touchdown after the play clock ran out. Malcom Kelly was cited for stepping out of bounds around mid-field on that "touchdown." Remember? It wasn't until a few plays later that Kelly lit your team up in the endzone. Also, what did the "gratuitous" spot have to do with Peterson's touchdown? He would have gone 200 yards on that play if the field was long enough. And don't bring up the turnovers that OU caused. That would be like me saying, had Oregon's halftime field goal bounced the other way, we wouldn't be here blogging. If you ask me, after the PAC 10 commissioner reviews the onside kick debacle, he should adjust the gamescore and proclaim an OU victory. Common sense says we would have put a knee on it after we recovered the onside kick and the rest would have been history. This would be the ultimate redemption, especially after last year's T. Tech screwup. Oregon had no business winning that game and it's a shame these refs were too intimidated by the home crowd to make the right call.
Cuda said:
posted on September 17, 2006 10:56 AM — 24.22.65.30 — link — abuse?
"It's another thing completely when football writers and pundits say that OU got robbed. Matt from Scout could care less if OU or UO won, but he is blasting the officiating. Is Matt a whiner?"
Check out Post#8. I am tired of hearing people around the country giving the Ducks and Pac-10 no respect. Most of the sports writers are back east, so they rarely see west coast games (except USC). I went to Tennessee for Grad. School and have family in Texas, so DO NOT tell me that the rest of the country are objective. Even USC does not get true respect. OU was NOT robbed! There were bad calls throughout the game, favoring both OU and UO. This is like every other game across the country. I believe the onside kick may not have traveled 10 yards, but it was so close that the refs did not reverse the call. It isn't like it traveled only 6 yards. Besides, OU should have been able to stop us at least one of our two drives in the last 3 min. The Ducks dominated OU by over 100 yards, but coughed it up 4 times giving the Sooners a chance. Our defense stopped A.D. but got tired due to our offensive woes. We won fair and square. If you want to complain about the onside kick, then Kelly pushed off in the endzone and OU did not hike the ball in time when Thompson passed it to Kelly down the sideline. Face it, we won and we should have won by more. Peace
Craig S. said:
posted on September 17, 2006 11:02 AM — 161.184.189.214 — link — abuse?
I'm not a fan of either team, but I think any college football fan should be outraged at that officiating. I've always felt that college officiating crews are hit-and-miss, but that was just embarassing.
I understand the Ducks' argument about some calls that went the Sooners' way earlier, but come on - that doesn't excuse what happened at the end. I can't believe that anyone would argue that the onside kick video was inconclusive - it was only that way if you're wearing Oregon-colored glasses, I guess. And the pass interference call was even worse - my 2-year-old could see that the ball was tipped.
I don't think Ducks fan should hang their heads in shame about winning that way, but neither would I be gloating and trying to explain away those calls. The Sooners were jobbed, in a big way.
posted on September 17, 2006 11:07 AM — link — abuse?
I could care less about Oklahoma or Oregon, but the Ducks should have lost by at least seven. OU got hosed.
Jack said:
posted on September 17, 2006 11:17 AM — 207.200.116.69 — link — abuse?
I'm a Duck who attended the game and watched the replays repeatedly last night. I think the OU fans have a valid gripe, although I do believe the distance the onside kick traveled is more questionable than who touched the ball first (Paysinger admitted in the paper this morning that he hit it first).
But it was a great game, even though both teams made a lot of mistakes. If the refs opened the door for the Ducks, our players came through when they had to. Let's have a lot more games between these two teams after two great cliff-hangersin the last 8 months.
And, let's get rid of the instant replays in college football. It slows the game down too much and obviously doesn't solve all the controversial plays.
AllAboutTheBenjamins said:
posted on September 17, 2006 11:39 AM — 208.104.163.186 — link — abuse?
The Daffy Ducks are a cross country school with as much of a chance at the BCS as Pre had in Munich against Viren. They need all the officiating help they get can just to keep enough $ flowing in to the athletic department for their really cool uniforms lol.
Ryan said:
posted on September 17, 2006 11:47 AM — 71.237.82.246 — link — abuse?
I hate both Oklahoma and Oregon. I love the game of football more then most things. I really hate to see football turn into the NBA. Did Phil Knight make a contribution to a PAC-10 officials local sports and rec department? An Oklahoma player recovered the onside so everything else is flat out highway robbery. The game of football lost, not the sooner or pathetic duck fans.
K Hat said:
posted on September 17, 2006 11:52 AM — 4.245.72.225 — link — abuse?
Jack I agree. I was watching the game, and the broadcasters said it was touched by an Oregon player before it went 10 yards.
If the NCAA can't get an obvious call correct, they need to ditch the instant replay system and hire more qualified refs.
Kevin said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:02 PM — 152.163.100.196 — link — abuse?
I could care less about either team, but for Duck fans to justify their win or, worse, feel good about it is a bunch of QUACK! OU won that game and anyone night wearing Oregon colors would agree -- just listen to the sports commentators,
watch the replay, read the papers across the county or listen to the Duck's own radio play-by-play announcer. Everyone knows the refs hosed the Sooners!Michael said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:09 PM — 67.171.221.142 — link — abuse?
Wow.... I can't believe that everyone is arguing about this. I am a former duck. I have been a duck fan for many years.
The ducks won. Plain and simple. If there was no replay, the ducks still would have won. If the officials were biased, the score would have been 41-27 in favor of Oregon, and last second heroics would not have been necessary.
OU has a great program, and has for years. Officiating in the PAC10 has been questionable for years, however, the officiating nationwide has been in a decline, so blaming officiating for OU's loss is irresponsible.
My comment on Sports Pundits: They have to sell themselves to the public, and nothing is better for ther reputation than a little controversy. What they say can't be trusted. If they had watched the *entire* game, and seen the awful calls earlier, they wouldn't be crying so loudly, because in the long run, everything evens out.
As far as getting rid of instant replays.. ok... and let's also get rid of the new clock rules at possession change
Jeff said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:18 PM — 24.240.243.133 — link — abuse?
Jack, yes. Let's play again. This time with some Big 12 officials, say in Norman. Come on down next year, or better yet, if your Ducks get the chance to play in a bowl game, this year, let's make a deal and ask to play each other. This one goes down as cheating by the Pat Ten Officials. There can be no other ratioinal explanation. The sad part is, the Ducks who were seeking recognition did receive it. Only it was the cheating kind, in the form of some ref's. YOU CAN'T MISS THESE CALLS THIS BAD BY ACCIDENT....THIS WAS DELIBERATE CHEATING BY THE PAC TEN OFFICIALS. So yes, let's play in a bowl game.... Somewhere, anywhere with neutral officials. Bellotti should be ashamed and should say so. His player this morning admitted to the penalty on the on side kick. Geeez, what else does it take. Don't even go with the whining deal. This is not sour grapes. The coachs and AP folks know that and should not awared the Ducks accordingly. The good part is the Sooners will take a peeved attitude the rest of the year. The Ducks will be on everyone's radar this year, not as a team to watch as in get ready to play, but watch out for the cheaters.....
S. Hudson said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:28 PM — 68.97.229.36 — link — abuse?
One thing that everyone fails to address is that Oklahoma actually recovered the onside kick. The replays on ABC cutoff the actual recovery by the OU player wearing number 23. I watched the replay on ESPN Classic, the replays of the onside kick recovery seemed to be purposefully cut-off.
Tim said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:32 PM — 24.99.211.162 — link — abuse?
I am on OU fan and my problem is that we had to kick three field goals from inside the five yard line. Our "O" line needs to be able to create holes against anyone in the country. Those 9 points should have been at least 17 and it would have been a blow out. An early out of conference lost is not the season. Bring on the Big 12.
OU fanfor life said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:44 PM — 208.189.200.2 — link — abuse?
Ducks fans, regardless of the box score you will have to admit, the Ducks got some help to pull this one off. Even your so called die hard fans were leaving their seats before the end of the game. The box score does not justify two bad calls that impacted the outcome of the game. I wonder if your team would be man enough to forfeit that win after watching the film? You might want to put this officiating crew on the payroll if they are not alreay.
Paul said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:55 PM — 70.234.98.144 — link — abuse?
I am a long time Sooner fan. Historically OU plays horrible in the first quarter Saurday was no exception Oregon moved the ball at will. If OU had scored more touchdowns not field goals they would have won. I caught at least 2 plays where the play clock ran out and OU wasn't caught. There were several pass interference calls that weren't caught. The questionable call is not did Oregon touch the ball, but why did #23 from OU have the ball at the end of the play. Then a pass interference call on a tipped ball. The officiating was less than spectacular, but as much as I hate to say it if OU had scored more touchdowns it would have been a win with bad officiating. This game was between #18 and #15 and they got it on. The rain in Oklahoma today seems appropriate.
kyle said:
posted on September 17, 2006 12:57 PM — 24.253.192.51 — link — abuse?
great game, i am a sooners fan and i do believe oregon won the game with those bad calls. on the other hand oregon and OU are really good teams that didnt bring their a games out to the field that day. sooners hurt themselves REALLY bad with penalties in the first half, and the ducks just didnt know what to do with the momentum with would build up. good job ducks first time you've beat the sooners in 6 years?
football fan said:
posted on September 17, 2006 1:06 PM — 208.189.200.2 — link — abuse?
Can we all just get along? This is a game. We'll let me change by saying if I was a Ducks fan I would shut up and try to take this win. You know there was no way you earned this win. OU fans would not be as upset if there was no instant replay and there were just bad calls. Instant replay was put in to fix problems like this game and any other game that occurred, but it did not work. If your conference wants the respect you think they deserve then man up and admit you had some help with this one. Yes the Sooners made some mistakes and they should not be off the hook, but the calls that went against them were game changers. You might want to also be concerned. Peterson rushed over your defense for 145 in the fourth quarter alone. Ask you comentators. They knew you had some help.
alex said:
posted on September 17, 2006 1:11 PM — 24.22.32.222 — link — abuse?
To Jake post 14. On that spot on the Peterson touchdown we were playing d to stop a QB sneak that sooners had previously scored on because of the short yardage and NOBODY was in the secondary and Stoops wisely called a run play with Peterson up the gut. If that ball was a yard or two yards back like it should have been we would have been in a different formation and if I remember right that was a fourth down play and we MAY have gotten the ball back or Stoops MAY not have gone for it, don't bother responding if it wasn't a fourth down because I am not going to bother checking but I am pretty sure it was. My point was not to say that you didn't score and make a good play but to say if I wanted to complain about the officiating I could have and it would be RIDICULOUS for me to say that because the refs gave you a great spot you scored the touchdown. Refer to my previous post where I say that in that situation Ducks should have responded positively and they didn't. If I did that I would be following the same argument that everyone who is saying the OU should HAVE the game is following and I completely disagree with that. As for the play that Kelly "lit us up" in the end zone, I can't believe you call a late lob from your wide receiver, oh wait I mean QB, wait I mean Wide out, oh he's a QB again, wait did he work at a car dealership too? As he gets sacked by three ducks and takes it to the one-yard line "lit up." Anyway that whole series should have been stopped on that play because the play clock RAN OUT and it was THIRD DOWN!!! What beef do you have with my comment there? Once again I will say the same thing, I still would not gripe about that because who knows if Oklahoma would have completed a third down and long if they had even called the delay of game.
"and dont bring up the turnovers that OU caused" You obviously read at a first grade level because my whole point was if I AM GOING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMETHING I AM GOING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE TURNOVERS THAT MY TEAM COUGHED UP AND IF YOU ARE GOING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMETHING COMPLAIN ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU HAD TWO OPPORTUNITIES TO STOP US AND DID NOT AND WE MADE GREAT MARCHES DOWN THE FIELD AND YOU HAD ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO BEAT US AT THE END OF THE GAME AND WHAT HAPPENED, WE BLOCKED THE KICK! Complain about how your team plays on the field not how the officials call the game, like I said the DUCKS have been hosed far too many times for me not to have learned that. You are not even going to give us credit for making a great field goal block at the end of the game?
To all you people who say the video is conclusive look at the screen caps and see the different colored skin between Paysinger's arms, you will see that his hand was in their too, leading to INCONCLUSIVE VIDEO EVIDENCE, was the call right? Probably not. Were the officials right not to overturn the call following replay rules and let the game finish on the field? ABSOLUTELY!
Craig said:
posted on September 17, 2006 1:16 PM — 71.193.21.232 — link — abuse?
I'm from Northern California, and I'm a huge College Football Fan. It doesn't matter who's playing, I'm watching. My concern is that it's appears to me that College Football is going the way of Professional Boxing (I love the sport, but it's become a disgrace).
It's evident that the officials from the Pac 10 were wrong. It's a sad day for College Football.
According to ESPN Sports, "Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen said Saturday night that both the onside kick and pass interference call will be
reviewed by the league."Let's see if he's a man of his word, and if a well deserved apology is given to all of College Football, for the debacle of the Pac 10 Refs...
I wonder how the Oregon Ducks fans would be handling the situation, if they had traveled to Norman, and the Big 12 Officials, had made the same call, against them... (Food for thought)Here's the Pac 10 commissioners contact info. Maybe a few emails, letters, phone calls and faxes, will hold his feet to the fire.
Let's keep the integrity of College Football, from heading South, like Pro Boxing (and other sports).
Work:
Tom Hansen
800 South Broadway
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Phone: (925) 932-4411
Fax: (925) 932-4601
Email: thansen@pac-10.orgHome:
3352 Stone Valley Rd.
Alamo, CA 94507
Phone: (925) 838-8561
Evil Benny said:
posted on September 17, 2006 1:33 PM — 71.236.159.138 — link — abuse?
This is nothing new for the Dirty Rotten Cheating Ducks. It is so obvious that "Uncle Phil",(Phil Knight, founder of Nike)pays the officials to cheat for the Ducks. When the refs were supposedly reviewing the disputed calls they were in fact negotiating with Knight to see how much he would pay them to cheat for the Ducks. The NCAA needs to investigate the officials and UofO for fixing games. This has been going on for years.
Mikeo said:
posted on September 17, 2006 1:41 PM — 63.235.180.77 — link — abuse?
First off I will say the Ducks took what they were handed and did an outstanding job. But I do believe that those who made the final decision on the two reveiws, should be reprimanded. The whole purpose of the replay reveiws was to make sure a game stayed as fair as it could be. This was a sad moment for all involed. Thank you to the Duck fans, that were aplogetic for their 'less than fair' win. You are truly 'honest' fans.
Gerald said:
posted on September 17, 2006 2:04 PM — 65.12.162.103 — link — abuse?
Cuda:
Oh please. Can it with "the PAC - 10 gets no respect" nonsense, OK? You aren't given respect, you have to earn it. So you beat Oklahoma. So what. Did you catch Louisville, who just a couple of years ago was a mid - major, CRUSH Miami? And they did it without Michael Bush and after losing Brian Brohm halfway through the game. But it is no big deal, because Louisville is a good team. Good teams beat other good teams. It happens all the time, and just because a PAC - 10 team does it does not make it special or noteworthy or something. So yes, if there were bad calls in the game, people are going to talk about it, just like they would talk about bad calls in any other game. Like, you know, that horribly officiated SUPER BOWL that cost WEST COAST TEAM SEATTLE A TITLE. Remember that one? According to you, talking about the bad calls in that game is disrespecting Pittsburgh, right?
If you ask me, the only team in college football that has any right to talk about a lack of respect is that 2004 Auburn team. 13 - 0, beat 5 of the BCS top 15, and wound up ranked #2 to a west coast team that only beat 3 of the BCS top 15. Remember that? Hmmm ... or let us talk about a PLAYER that lacks respect. Vince Young. Led the #1 offense in college football in rushing and passing, became the first player in major college football history to rush 1000 yards and pass for 3000 yards, and he finishes 2nd in the Heisman race to USC's Reggie Bush. Remember that? Hmmm ... but oh yes, you are right. West Coast schools and players never get any respect.
Robert said:
posted on September 17, 2006 2:20 PM — 24.126.203.97 — link — abuse?
Alex (post #8) and Cuda (post #15) -
Please take off you r Duck glasses and be a just a LITTLE bit objective.
I don't have any ties to eighter school. I am a big college football fan. And simply want to see the best result for the college football.
This is NOT the best result, on so many levels.
Every excuse for justifying your victory are simply weak.
And, by the way, Alex and Cuda.
Have you actually watched the ENTIRE tape (not just those posted by ESPN)? If you did, you would clearly that Oregon never recovered the kick. It was recoevered by OU #23.
Trying viewing it with objective eyes (apparently not an option).
Win/Lose means nothing the these officials.
But it means everything to these players, and their future. In particular, ESPN analyst are saying that Peterson has lost ground in the Heisman race. Why? Because his team has a lose.
THAT'S RIDICULOUS. But if true, these officials (and the replay booth) stole more than just a W from OU!!!
Angie said:
posted on September 17, 2006 2:28 PM — 205.188.116.133 — link — abuse?
The Fifth Down was the name of an American football play that was the result of an error by the crew officiating the game. This play enabled the Colorado Buffaloes to defeat the Missouri Tigers by scoring a touchdown on the last play of their game on October 6, 1990. The ensuing controversy cast doubt on the claim to major college football's 1990 national championship by the University of Colorado Buffaloes.
In American football a team is allowed four attempts or "downs" to move the ball ten yards towards the goal line. If the offense moves ten yards in four attempts or less, it gains a "first down" which restarts the process. If, after four attempts, the offense has neither scored nor gained ten yards, the other team is given possession of the ball. Under normal circumstances (for example, excluding penalties which can involve replaying a down), no team is supposed to be allowed five attempts. However, due to an error, Colorado was given a fifth down.
Contents [hide]
1 The game
2 The fallout
3 The national championship
4 Precedent
[edit]
The game
The game pitted the Buffaloes against their Big Eight Conference rival, the Missouri Tigers, and was played on October 6, 1995. The game was played at Faurot Field, Missouri's home stadium in Columbia.The lead in this game changed hands several times, and several big plays kept the momentum swinging. With less than three minutes to go, Colorado got the ball deep in its own territory trailing by the score of 31-27. Backup quarterback Charles Johnson led the team on a last-ditch drive. With about 40 seconds to go, he completed a pass to a Colorado tight end who fell down just yards short of the goal line. This play gave the Buffaloes a first down, but it led to immediate confusion because the Buffs were running a hurry-up offense.
On first down, Johnson spiked the ball to stop the clock. On second down, a power run into the line by Eric Bieniemy was stopped just short of the goal line. But the officiating crew forgot to flip the down marker to note that it was now third down. On the next play, the Buffaloes made the same call and Bieniemy was again stopped short of the end zone. It was now fourth down, and Johnson made what would have been a fatal mistake when he again spiked the ball to stop the clock with two seconds left. That play should have turned the ball over to Missouri, but confusion reigned and the officials now changed the down marker to reflect a fourth down. On the following play fourth down according to the marker, but "fifth down" in reality Johnson kept the ball himself. It appeared the Tigers tackled him short of the end zone. The Missouri crowd screamed in ecstasy, believing the Tigers had knocked off the Buffaloes for the first time since 1984. But Johnson contorted his body and placed the point of the ball over the goal line for a game-winning touchdown.
Referee J.C. Louderback and the Big Eight officiating crew conferred for nearly 20 minutes to decide their course of action. During the delay, radio and television announcers noticed that Colorado had scored with the help of an additional play. Louderback was shown on the phone. After a lengthy consultation, the referees announced their decision: It was a touchdown, and Colorado would now have to run the extra-point conversion. Not wanting to take any risks with only a two-point lead, the Buffaloes snapped the ball and downed it to end a controversial 33-31 contest.
[edit]
The fallout
Colorado football coach Bill McCartney did little to soothe the controversy. Asked whether he would consider forfeiting the game, McCartney declared that he had considered it but decided against it because "the field was lousy." (He complained about the unusually slick Omniturf artificial surface, which he said had caused repeated slips and falls during the game.)The NCAA football rules [1] might be interpreted as disallowing an official forfeit anyway. In American football, a decision made by the officials during the course of play cannot be reversed after the game ends. If the "fifth down" play had occurred earlier, so that time remained on the clock when the play ended, the play could have been nullified.
(However, see the 1940 precedent for a different perspective on a possible forfeit.)
Closure came in the summer of 1998 four years after McCartney retired as the Buffs coach when he admitted to making mistakes and being saddened by the Fifth Down fiasco. McCartney made the remarks at a Promise Keepers gathering at the site of the controversy, Columbia, Missouri.
[edit]
The national championship
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs American football as played by the teams representing the largest universities in the United States, termed Division I-A football or "major college football." Although smaller schools participate in formal NCAA tournaments to determine the national college football championships in Divisions I-AA, II, and III, Division I-A lacks such a tournament.The "mythical national championship" [2] of major college football, as it is commonly known, is determined by polls of experts. In the early 1990s, two such polls were regarded as authoritative: a poll of sportswriters conducted by the Associated Press (AP), and a poll of college football coaches conducted by the American Football Coaches' Association. [3] These polls are conducted weekly during the football season, and the final poll (in January) determines the championship.
Because 1990 was a year in which no single college football team was dominant, the Fifth Down controversy played a role in determining the national champion of major college football for the 1990 season. Immediately before the Missouri game, Colorado was ranked 12th nationally, and Missouri was unranked (ranked 26th or lower). The Missouri game actually caused Colorado's ranking to decline to 14th. However, most of the top teams lost in subsequent weeks, while the Buffaloes won their remaining games, including squeakers over highly-rated Nebraska and Notre Dame. The Orange Bowl victory over Notre Dame was considered very controversial as well (Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz had told his team in a pregame speech that Colorado was "living a lie"), due to a questionable clipping call on the Irish on a punt return touchdown late in the game by Raghib Ismail when Colorado held a 10-9 lead, which would be the final score after Notre Dame was assessed the penalty.
Colorado finished the 1990 season with a record of 1111 (eleven wins, one loss and one tie) [4], while the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets' record was 11-0-1, i.e. the Yellow Jackets won 11 games with one tie. [5] No major college team had an unblemished record, and only Georgia Tech finished without a loss.
(NCAA football rules [6] permitted ties in 1990. Subsequent rule changes have introduced overtime play in 1996, so that all games since are victories for one team or the other.)
Observers favoring Colorado for the national championship noted that they had played a more difficult schedule than Georgia Tech. Those favoring Georgia Tech pointed to the Yellow Jackets' undefeated status and to the tainted victory achieved by Colorado at Missouri in the "Fifth Down" game. With a loss at Missouri, the Colorado record would have been 1021, and the Buffaloes surely would not have been considered for the national title with that record.
After the conclusion of the 1990 season, in January, 1991, the sportswriters voted the University of Colorado Buffaloes national champions. The coaches voted the championship to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Both universities therefore claim the 1990 championship.
More recently, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has been established to create a national championship game for major college football in which the top two ranked teams in the BCS Poll (which takes into account both the human polls and six computer polls). However, the BCS has not been without controversy, for instance, in the 2004 football season, USC, Oklahoma, Utah, and Auburn all had unblemished records: USC defeated Oklahoma to claim the national title, but Utah and Auburn also won their respective BCS games to go undefeated.
[edit]
Precedent
The Colorado Fifth Down was not the first time such a play had happened. In 1940, an Ivy League contest between Dartmouth and Cornell ended similarly. Cornell had won 18 straight games when they completed the game-winning touchdown pass on fifth down. After officials reviewed game film, they discovered their error. And by agreement of the Cornell players, coach, and athletic director, Cornell forfeited the game to Dartmouth by telegram. This game is therefore regarded as a 3-0 Dartmouth victory, instead of a 7-3 triumph by Cornell. [7]There is room for doubt as to whether the Cornell forfeit was "official" according to NCAA rules. [8] However, the general public recognizes the Cornell telegram of forfeit, so NCAA recognition of it may be moot.
See now oregon should voluntarily forfeit the game if they have any class about them at all!somebody should bring this to national attention
Robert said:
posted on September 17, 2006 2:30 PM — 24.126.203.97 — link — abuse?
to Rob Henderson...
"Oklahoma wasting their last time out for a better look at special teams was stupid. Oklahoma should have still won that game. You manage the clock like your supose to, with that last, amazing, kick off return, and you chip-shot an easy feild goal, sooners win by 2. No excuses for the officials, But no excuses for poor coaching."
That's the worst argument I have ever heard.
First of all, the time out was apparently used to make sure the OU was prepared. Then OU was to execute.
From my take, the time out worked as planned. OU was prepared, OU executed...BUT OU did plan on one more thing...
THE OFFICIALS BOTCHING THE PLAY SO BADLY.
three errors on the officials (we all know them).
No way Stoops could have prepared for that.
Congrats to the OU special teams for planning and executing...too bad the officials were watching a different game.Jerry said:
posted on September 17, 2006 2:54 PM — 24.21.1.213 — link — abuse?
With all this controversy, aren't we overlooking the fact that these are 19 to 21 year old kids, some of whom, on both teams, had great games, and deserve some recognition. It was not their fault that this became a "cause celebre" for the likes of the ESPN "College Game Day" guys, who should stick to reporting, and not editorializing. Some of them, particularly Chris Fowler, need to step back and remember that this is still just a game. There were questionable calls on both sides of the line, but let's conclude that the officials were not on top of the game, not that somebody got "robbed".
Football Fan said:
posted on September 17, 2006 3:05 PM — 63.123.95.201 — link — abuse?
The football officals determined the outcome of this game. Clear and simple. I just don't see how they could be so blatant about it. Officals should not determine the outcome of a game, but thats what happened here. My hope is this game PAC 10 officals are fired. As a former football offical, I know there is a tendencey to homer and thats what happened here. They worked (when given the opportunity)to give Oregon the advantage to win.
To those assclowns who say to get over it, do not really understand what a win is.
Football Fan said:
posted on September 17, 2006 3:06 PM — 63.123.95.201 — link — abuse?
The football officals determined the outcome of this game. Clear and simple. I just don't see how they could be so blatant about it. Officals should not determine the outcome of a game, but thats what happened here. My hope is this game PAC 10 officals are fired. As a former football offical, I know there is a tendencey to homer and thats what happened here. They worked (when given the opportunity)to give Oregon the advantage to win.
To those who say to get over it, do not really understand what a win is.
Dan said:
posted on September 17, 2006 4:40 PM — 71.4.20.209 — link — abuse?
I must have missed something important. If you have a dvr take a look at one of the camera angles of the onside kick. Pause then forward slowly you will see that the ball actually bounced off the head of number 19 for the Sooners first. Live ball!
Jim said:
posted on September 17, 2006 4:55 PM — 66.68.114.206 — link — abuse?
Karma always prevails. Enjoy your empty non-conference victory by cheating. Oregon will lose next week to Arizona State, the following week to Cal, and will be crushed in November by USC. All these games are away--no home-cookin' help. Good luck.
Vince said:
posted on September 17, 2006 5:32 PM — 67.142.130.38 — link — abuse?
Regardless of the calls, OU allowed 2 touchdowns in the last 72 seconds of the game and allowed the winning field goal to be blocked...that speaks volumes.
Any team worth their salt would have taken care of business on DEFENSE regardless of the contreversial calls made and stopped their opponent.
There were several opportunities on offense to convert...OU kicked 4 field goals because they could not break the Oregon D" deep in the red zone to put the game out of reach.
The refs did not put 2 touchdowns on the board...the refs did not allow a winning field goal to be blocked...OU did!
coulda, whoulda, shoulda applies to all OU fans that cannot understand that it was OU's game to lose...and they did.
buzzman5420 said:
posted on September 17, 2006 5:39 PM — 70.245.111.94 — link — abuse?
The game never should of had to be deciced by what an official thought he saw or didnt see. OU had 2 chances to score TDs in the fourth qtr. They didnt take care of business when they could of. The defense is so weak, and has shown that coach venerable is the weak link in this coaching staff.
Jon said:
posted on September 17, 2006 7:24 PM — 128.143.246.93 — link — abuse?
Oklahoma fans, I am a Duck, and I feel badly for the way that we won. It wasn't a victory that left the best feeling in my heart. I would be upset if I were in your position too.
However, Sooner fans: GET OVER IT!!! THE REFS MADE BAD CALLS ON BOTH SIDES. You got a TD you should not have because you shouldn't even had had the ball on that drive anymore due to a bad call (Failed to call delay of game). We got a TD for the same reason. It evens out and you know it. Your team should have had 7 less points at that point in the game, and thus the onside kick would not have even been necessary. You are lying to yourself if you say otherwise. Have a nice day losers.
So Cal USMC said:
posted on September 17, 2006 7:24 PM — 204.62.68.23 — link — abuse?
Despite the questionable calls, that was an Awesome game.
Did I see an Oklahoma KNEE hit that ball before an Oregon Arm touched it?... if I squint, maybe I did. And, oh yeah Moox, Gerald, what did I say about Homefield matter-ing ?
Rick said:
posted on September 17, 2006 8:13 PM — 68.97.33.190 — link — abuse?
I feel terrible for those OU players. Bottom line: it was a win! The ball was theirs at mid-field with a minute remaining. Everybody in America knows that including the ducks "homers" the referree in the booth. The win was taken away by the horrible officiating at the end of the game.
OU Fan said:
posted on September 17, 2006 8:30 PM — 207.119.210.122 — link — abuse?
I think the Ducks are now 1-6 against the Sooners, please correct me if I am wrong. Oregon was due, good game. The OU D did not look good. I give props to Peterson, who played hell of a game. I wish Stoops would replace #79 Chris Messner. That guy is an idiot and should never start for OU again. I don't care if he's a senior and has experience or not. And Duck Fans, once again great game. OU did have plenty of opportunites to win, but did not capitalize on them. But all you Duck Fans know damn well that ya would be whining to if that sort of outcome happened to your team. Sure the Ducks beat the Sooners, but I agree with Jim. No more home cookin when you guys have to play those tough road games. The Trojans will squash the Ducks. Go Sooners!! 05-06 Holiday Bowl Champs. Whooooo!
Football Pipeline said:
posted on September 17, 2006 8:52 PM — 71.56.138.187 — link — abuse?
1- I graduated from OU undergrad as well as plenty of master's and docotral work.
2- I live in Portland now 3 years and love it. I go to a top logistics and sustainable development program PSU- and I am (the main)one of the people who run the pdxpipeline.com and we try to do as much as we can for this place, and much more than I was ever able to do in OK b/c of the great community here...Portland and Oregon are possibly the best places I've ever lived, and I have lived all of Europe...including the French Riviera
This is what Oklahoma/OU has1- I went to the game of 59,000 (OU sits over 92,000 by the way), and we/they aren't bragging about it...
7 National Championships
The Longest winning streak in College Football History
Competed in 3 National Championship games this decade (50% of the time).
A quarterback that we had to switch two weeks befre the start of the season.
A 100% non-returning offensive line.
A nearly full new defensive line.2- OUhas stomped Oregon practically every time we've played (except this one).
3- I saw the Ducks come down to Norman in '04 and we beat you soundly. We were nice, and I have only heard really great things from duck fans who went.
4- I watched the bowl game last year here in the bars of SE PDX, and heard many Duck fans complaining before and up to that game of how they get no repsect and they should never have had to play OU...and then lost to OU...you lost because unlike our other oppennents that year, AD/AP was not seriously injured.
5- Our defense sucked yesterday, and that is why we lost.
6- Your refs were more lopsided than the Supreme Court judging at Bush vs Gore
7- You called us rednecks, trash, Jokelahoma, Oklahomos...
8 How are 7 national chamionships a joke...but more than that, where is the respect to your fellow Americans who travelled two thousand miles to give you your highest attendance ever and pump money into your economy?
I've been ashamed often as an Oklahoman for some of the ridiculous policies of that state (cock-fighting anyone).
Yesterday was the first time I was ashamed to be an Oregonian, and I felt sad seeing those older Oklahomans there who have gone through so much in that rough state (Dust Bowl, Okies, hard eceonomy) to use their money to be treated like that.
You won by one point against an away team with a new quarterback, a totally rebuilt team and was unranked at the end of last season and still beat you. Oklahoma cares about winning a chamionship, and was not about to brag and get all super-charged obnoxious about winning. We weren't (and I was with a lot) going to get upset about losing. However, as hard-core football fans year in and year out for over 50 years now, we like to watch a game, not the zebras...
Elindelwolf said:
posted on September 17, 2006 9:00 PM — 65.125.101.231 — link — abuse?
Geesh.
Yes, they won. Yes, there is controversy...but dudes, get over it. It happened, the refs were wrong. Can we do anything about it now? No. I say, acknowledge it, fix it, and move on.
Yes, I'm a ducks fan. Still, I am disappointed that things ended up the way they did. I wish oregon could have won the game without any, weights. Now we have folks bashing the team, which did NOTHING wrong. They played, it's the refs that messed up.
OU had chances to wrap the game up, even after the bad calls. Alas, they were not able to do it. That sucks, trust me...I've been there. I played football and helped coach my former HS football team. We had bad officiating a couple times.
You know what, we moved on. In fact, we lost our fist game of the season to our cross town rival. Did we whine and complaing? No, we acknowledge that there was a bad call. Then, we focused on the next game. You know what? We won state that year.
Finally, both teams played well. As a ducks fan, I felt the ducks could have played a tad better. (I agree with belotti about the turnovers, etc..) To say that the ducks did not deserve to win, is bullsh-t. They played hard, so did OU. Both teams played hard...both teams deserved to win, but only one could do so.
People slam the ducks. People whine for OU...and you know what, you know who the bigger loser is? Nope, not Oklahoma. It's oregon. Now, folks think they are "evil," that they stole the game. They just wanted to play. Slam the refs, not the players.
So, to OU fans. Good game. I'm sorry it ended the way it did, but...things happen. Lets move on, and get ready for our next match up. Good luck with the rest of the season. (I hope you guys win the rest of your games...you guys are good.)
Peace, Lucas
Bryan said:
posted on September 17, 2006 9:12 PM — 71.117.235.171 — link — abuse?
The Ducks did a great job when it came to hanging with the sooners, dont discredit the ducks for playing the game, however those officials were on shrooms. I must say Oklahoma got a away with hold after hold after hold in the first half. On top of this Oregon did recover the onside kick, the contraversy is did they do it before 10 yards, which looked like they did around the 9 yard line. NCAA announce that the Pac10 is reviewing the calls and even though the score wont change, OU wont drop nearly as far in the AP polls if indeed it is ruled in OU's favor.
Cuda said:
posted on September 17, 2006 9:57 PM — 24.22.65.30 — link — abuse?
Wait a minute. During non-conference games, the officiating crew is from the home team's conference, but the replay officials are from the opposing conference, so shouldn't the Big 12 take some responsibility for "robbing" their own team. Hmmm...
Mike said:
posted on September 17, 2006 10:14 PM — 71.193.230.60 — link — abuse?
I don't want to hear any whinning from Sooner fans. The calls were bad on both sides of the ball, but in the end the Ducks scored more points, period. If you LISTEN to the on-side kick play you will OBVIOUSLY hear the whistle blow when PAtrick Chung (duck player) is on the ball,ie the play is dead, over, done. A couple seconds later you see some Oklahoma player with the ball, but the whistle had blown, play over. The tipped ball? doesn't matter does it?! Oregon scored on Oklahoma EASILY, they (OK) had their chances to stop Oregon from scoring but couldn't do it obviously. Game over! Karma is a bitch when it comes around the other way isn't it Oklahoma? You didn't stop Oregon from scoring two times in just over a minute, that is why you lost, not the so-called blown calls. Now shut up and go play Texas.
Mike said:
posted on September 17, 2006 10:39 PM — 71.193.230.60 — link — abuse?
Once again, LISTEN to the audio for the on-side kick, Oregon player clearly on the ball, whistle blown, play over, period. Another angle shows the OU player reaching between the U of O player hands at basically the same moment, not enough evidence to change the call on the field in either instance. OU defense couldn't stop Oregon TWICE in under a minute. Nice game AD, Once again, LISTEN to the play.
Newman said:
posted on September 17, 2006 10:43 PM — 24.253.213.107 — link — abuse?
OKLAHOMA RECOVERED THE BALL! Who cares who touched it and where they touched it. That is the bottom line. It was Oklahoma's ball, the Duck's would not have ever had possession of the ball again. OU would have taken a knee and the game would have been over. The officials knew this so they bold face cheated and gave the ball to the Duck's. They suck and should be fired! It's hard to play a good/fair game when the officials are blind,cheating,idiots.
GO SOONERS!College Football Fan said:
posted on September 17, 2006 11:07 PM — 69.44.134.230 — link — abuse?
I can't believe I'm seeing fans defend these 2 terrible calls. As an ex-High School football coach, this is a disgrace as an adult.
If you believe the replays were inconclusive. Find someone that recorded the game and look again.
If you think #4 for OU touched the ball first, read the NCAA rulebook. The kicking team cannot contest the reception of an onside kick inside 10 yards. #4 left foot is inside 10 yards and right foot is on the line. His hands are outstretched in front of his body. Any contact of the ball or receiver is a penalty.
This rule is the same type of rule when a punt is being received, the receiver must be allowed to catch the ball. A defender can't jump up and slap the ball or touch the player until the receiver has the opportunity to catch the ball.If you beleive that the officiating was bad both ways so it evened out, you are truly defined as a fan (fanatic - in other words, crazy). Anyone that has an objective bone in their body can tell you that if this call was made at half time, OU fans would be whiners. At that point, OU would have had time to recover. When a terrible call is made at the end of the game, a team may or may not be able to recover. Big difference. If you want to say they could have kicked the fieldgoal, you are right. BUT these are still kids, and college football is an emotional rollercoaster. If OU makes that fieldgoal, the entire special teams unit would have deserved to be players of the decade.
Summation: Unfortunately for OU fans, don't count on this being corrected. You might get an apology, but NCAA can't afford to overturn the L to a W. I would predict that this tragedy will actually hurt Oregon worse in the long run than it will OU. Oregon fans seem to think they don't get enough respect. With this incident, I would expect that no high profile programs will be interested in playing Oregon in non-conference games making it very difficult for Oregon to earn respect from the media. This game could hurt them for many years in the polls.
Jason said:
posted on September 17, 2006 11:58 PM — 24.20.117.178 — link — abuse?
Over and over again I read people saying that the reason the call for the onside kick is so bad is because it was very crucial. BS! Every play of the game is crucial. You need to play every play like it's the last one, because anything can happen. Was it a crucial call by the refs? Yes of course it is, that's what they get paid for; to make those crucial calls. Do they get those calls wrong? Yes of course they do, they are human of course.
No team in the NCAA can claim that they haven't been hosed by a bad call. Every fan can recall a play at the very very end of the game that could have gone either way, and the whole of that decision lies on the refs shoulders.
I remember a Duck apearance at the Freedom bowl (some fan is going to correct me on the right bowl game i know it) in which the Ducks decided to go for a 2 point conversion at the end of the game for the win instead of the tie. The call by the refs was that the ball didn't break the plane of the endzone even though the player was standing in the endzone. Replays on televisions at home showed the ball did cross the plane. But that is the decision the ref has to make, and no matter how much it hurts, once they make it, that's it!
Enter the replay. The replay was supposed to make calls like this easier. Now a ref on the field can make a decision, and he knows if he's wrong the replay booth will fix things. In a perfect world yes. But we don't live in a perfect world. First the replay officials need to have overwhelming proof to overturn a play, like a man standing on the white stripe that represents the sideline, or a players knee on the ground. These types of calls are easy to establish overwhelming proof to overturn a ruling on the field. Where things get tricky is when people are in the air, and the clearest shots are taken from cameras 1/4 mile away at a tangent to the lines on the field. These men sit in a box, knowing that the course of an entire game rests on their decision, and they say to themselves, is there any doubt, can a reasonable man have doubt about what happened here. Then they make their call.
Sometimes their calls aren't going to be ones people like to hear, but it's their call to make, and they have to make it.
I've noticed alot of people griping about the call that officials in the replay booth made about the tipped ball that would reverse the pass interference call on the field in the 4th quarter. If we take our knowledge of physics, and apply that to an object travelling over 50 miles an hours with a tight spiral, we know that the object is going to tend to stay in that spiral and not wobble. But by the time the ball hit the reciever the ball was wobbling. Did something affect the ball so it was no longer in a spiral? Physics says yes. But if you look at the replay, it's a really really close call. It's not like the guy got his whole hand on it. It's not like the guy's finger bent back from contact with the ball. In fact, if that lineman had clipped his fingernails that morning he probly wouldn't have even touched the ball. Another close decision by the replay officials. It looks like it was tipped. But it looks like it was tipped isn't enough to reverse a decision on the field. Instead the replay booth needs to be able to say "THAT BALL CLEARLY MADE CONTACT AND I CAN SHOW YOU WHERE" which they felt they couldn't do. Bad call? Eh, tough to say, I wasn't in the replay booth. Close call? About as close as they come. I mean come on guys, we aren't talking about feet or yards here, we are talking about less than a centimeter captured on a camera from 1/4 of a mile away.
Both teams went out their and played their guts out. Both teams came through when their team needed them to come through. While we were sitting at home on comfy chairs, drinking beer and eating chips, these men were playing every second like their lives depended on it. They played like warriors out there, and for the most part all I've read here and on other forums is a bunch of couch surfing egomaniacs trying to say that no matter how hard they play, no matter what they do the officials are going to decide who wins the game. They know better, and you should to. Bad calls are part of the game. Good calls are part of the game. Slipping on the grass and missing a tackle that lets a man get an extra 3 yards is part of the game.
But here we are, games been over for a day now, and there are still some people stewing over what happened. Sure there are people who are sore about the game, like a cornerback who let a reciever get an extra step on him, or the lineman who took the wrong step and let a defender put too much pressure on the quarterback. What are you sore about? Your sore because you think one man changed the entire course of the game. You couldn't be more wrong. 22 men out there on the field, battling in the sun changed the course of the game. How dare you belittle their heroic attempts to beat each other by claiming they have no choice in the outcome of the game. How dare you insult them and give them ultimatums and call them cowards and cheaters. Where were you on saturday afternoon? Were you on the field giving it 110%? No, you were sitting down, hoping that these men would give 110% to entertain you. You lost, you won, show some respect to the men who made it happen.
monte said:
posted on September 18, 2006 12:34 AM — 12.168.233.65 — link — abuse?
Since your going to bring up everything that was missed by the officails, then why are you not going to bring up the offensive pass interferance call that oklahoma scored on earlier in the game. Even the ABC announcers called that one right that the officails missed. you take away that , we will take away the onside kick and we will call it even, final score, oregon 27-oklahoma 26.
monte said:
posted on September 18, 2006 1:01 AM — 12.168.233.65 — link — abuse?
I feel i have to put my two cents in after reading about the pac-10 officails, and how they screwed over the sooners. if your going to complain about how you were hosed by two calls in the final minute, then lets hear about the missed calls earlier in the game. Like the malcom kelly td pass from 31 yards. its amazing how open you can get when you shove the defender in the back when the ball is in the air. Even the ABC announcers commented about the officails missing that one. You take that one away and take the onside kick away, i have a final score of oregon 27, oklahoma 26.
Cuda You are a moron... said:
posted on September 18, 2006 1:05 AM — 68.97.3.224 — link — abuse?
From ESPN.com,
"In most interconference games, the visiting team brings officials from its league with them. The Pac-10, however, never adopted this policy. Pac-10 officials call games at Pac-10 schools. The policy did not make the league look good on Saturday."And you are wrong about the replay officials being from the Big 12, they were from the Pac 10 and blew both of the calls.
You would think that you would know your facts before you posted but I guess not.... WOW what a moron....
The Mayor said:
posted on September 18, 2006 2:08 AM — 24.23.202.200 — link — abuse?
Kevin Donahue,
I have been a loyal fan of your website for a year, but your prejudice against the Ducks is getting on my nerves. The attention to the uniforms and now this.
The PI was a blown call, but no more so than the non-calls in the first half against the Sooners.
The onside kick could not be over turned, the replay was inconclusive and that's just the rules. Deal with it.
Why denigrate the most exciting comeback in Duck history. Your bias against the Ducks and the Pac-10 is so tiresome.
Adrian Peterson should get the Heisman. Oklahoma and their fans are just awesome. You and these other whiners should give the Ducks the credit that they are due.
My biggest disappointment was our own fans booing Brady Leaf and Belotti in the first half. These same blowhards left the game early and missed the comeback. A sad day for Oregon Duck fans. The Sooner Nation however stayed the entire game and gave their team a standing ovation after the game...very classy fans.
How about the Pac -10 vs the Big 12 on Saturday...4 and 0. That would be a better headline, is that mentioned anywhere?
Kevin, very disappointed. Pick on another team for a change. Consider me a former fan of yours.
Tomcat said:
posted on September 18, 2006 3:11 AM — 69.150.79.183 — link — abuse?
# 60 Mr. Pipeline and #65 Mr.Mayor
The whole Idea of replays is to prevent such contraversies right? Yes Oregon has sorry fans, and the officiating crew was bad.This game will be disscussed in great detail by many fans, players and coaches.These game films will be reveiwed numberous times by many folks,including the NCAA. Hopefully some good will come of it.
I seen alot of bad calls in alot of big games, these type of mistakes are bad for both teams.
Perhaps these mistakes can be used as an example of what not to do for training purposes for the officials.Usually when these things happen everybodies pointing fingers and making excuses.
Ive seen baseball games were it took four strikes to get an out,and when they call a kid out at first when the firstbaseman didnt touch the bag. Hopefully we will conduct our activities with class and dignaty, unlike some of the hostile parents that start fights and curse the ref etc.etc.
A loss is a loss, whether it was fair or not.
Sooner fans remain positive, and remember sometimes you have to beat not only the opposing team but the refs, officials, media and fans of the opposision.
Sooners vs Ducks 06 will go down in history
Hookem-Horns
Ducks suck fans booing their team paying of refs etc. etc. follow the money and you will find the crimeSoonerFaithful said:
posted on September 18, 2006 7:45 AM — 167.24.104.150 — link — abuse?
Duck fans, I fail to see how pointing out "other" bad calls justifies the two horrendous calls at the end of the game. Clearly it would have been a different game if the refs had been anywhere near competent. But to argue that the outcome would have been different if a call even 5 minutes earlier had been different is pure conjecture. Clearly if OU had been given the ball on the onside kick, the game was over with OU winning. You can't honestly argue that.
That being said, I have to agree with the other poster who noted that coaching cost OU as much as anything. Stoops should have had the defense on the sidelines prepping them for the series after Oregon gets the call on the kick - instead, everyone was just milling about waiting for the call. Also, the idiotic call to run Peterson off-tackle with 30-seconds left and timeouts?! Sheesh! If they didn't have a play called, why not just have Thompson spike it - saving about 25-secs? Then they could have called a real play, maybe two before they needed to kick the field goal. That was poor coaching.
Lastly, if OU's defense was worth a crap, they would have stopped Oregon at some point during the game. But our defense looks to be _really_ bad this year. Texas is going to kick our a-$-$ from here to Dallas this year if we don't fix it real quick!
posted on September 18, 2006 8:56 AM — 66.186.246.19 — link — abuse?
#55: Can you please explain what you mean by your comment "Oregon wins LSU style"?
Is there some known instance where LSU won a game after officials handed it to them despite clear video evidence that they'd blown multiple calls?
I'm not aware of such a case, but perhaps you are.
Jason said:
posted on September 18, 2006 10:40 AM — 65.213.153.101 — link — abuse?
Cuda says:
posted on September 17, 2006 09:57 PM IP: 24.22.65.30 link
Wait a minute. During non-conference games, the officiating crew is from the home team's conference, but the replay officials are from the opposing conference, so shouldn't the Big 12 take some responsibility for "robbing" their own team. Hmmm...______________
Actually they were PAC10 Officials. It was stated multiple times by the announcers. If it had been Big 12 officials, it'd be the Ducks whining and the Sooners flaming.
Sooner Fan in Kansas said:
posted on September 18, 2006 10:43 AM — 24.249.117.54 — link — abuse?
Its time for the Big 10 to boycott all of the upcoming games in the PAC 10.
Oregon is not just a bunch on cheaters but also a third world country as well.
Oregon, come to Oklahoma and will show you how we can beat you on the field as well as in the parking lot.
Gerald said:
posted on September 18, 2006 11:33 AM — 65.12.162.103 — link — abuse?
Dave Frey:
So Cal USMC is mostly just bashing SEC fans; still cannot get over the fact that LSU shared a title with his Trojans and that Auburn should have. He wants SEC fans to admit that USC was better or something. He is PARTIALLY right, though. LSU and Oregon State played a game a couple of years back that OSU lost because of bad play in the kicking game. There were some questionable calls in that game that went LSU's way, but none so egregious as in the Oregon - OU game. In a twisted sense, he was defending the PAC - 10's big win by trying to point out that other conferences win games like that all the time, and also get twice the bang for his buck by whacking SEC fans at the same time. But if there wasn't something for So Cal USMC to be SUBCONSCIOUSLY sensitive about, he wouldn't feel the need to justify this win (as Oregon did play a great game and OU had more than their share of shortcomings) or whack the SEC (as it has nothing to do with this game).
FanoftheGame said:
posted on September 18, 2006 11:33 AM — 12.43.234.14 — link — abuse?
Every game played has calls that are missed by the officials. Not one or two games, but every single game. As fans, we all know this to be fact. Instant replay is supposed to keep questionable calls from determining the outcome of games. This isn't the first time that we as fans have disagreed with the officials even after instant replay was used. However, we would be hard pressed to find a series of instant replay decisions that had such an accumulative effect on the final outcome. This game is going to have Websters trying to re-define the word "indisputable".
Total yards doesn't win football games. Nor does penalties of first downs. Points are the only determining factor in winning and losing. Regardless of the debacle created by the poor officiating and its direct influence on the final outcome, after all is said and done, the Sooners will have a loss and the Ducks will have their win. I just thank the College Football Gods that this mess didn't happen in a game between two great teams where it might have impacted their chances of playing in the National Championship Game.ZeroNPV said:
posted on September 18, 2006 11:41 AM — 216.190.213.1 — link — abuse?
the call was bad and we got lucky, no question. hopefully we can improve our execution and make the most of our season. I can't believe you call Oregon a 3rd world country compared to Oklahoma (and you come from Kansas)? I think income is the measure of a 3rd world country and it looks like OK falls below the poverty line. I also don't remember any crazed hicks blowing up our federal building. football is football, but you live in and support some backward-assed states
Income
Oregon: 42,704
Oklahoma: 35,500
Kansas: 42,523Gerald said:
posted on September 18, 2006 11:49 AM — 65.12.162.103 — link — abuse?
So Cal USMC:
Takes a lot of class to put in a dig against LSU when LSU lost a close - and poorly officiated - road game themselves over the weekend. I still fail to see exactly what Southern Cal fans have against LSU and Auburn ... it was Southern Cal that got everything it wanted ... a shared title without having to play in the BCS title game in 03 and then being able to deny that same deal to Auburn in 04. That is not to say that Auburn and LSU fans should resent Southern Cal who had nothing to do with and no control over it ... they should blame the media who had everything to do with and complete control over it. But the way Southern Cal fans comport themselves over the whole sordid affair sure makes the misdirected anger of LSU and Auburn fans seem more legitimate.
Gerald said:
posted on September 18, 2006 12:06 PM — 65.12.162.103 — link — abuse?
FanoftheGame:
"Points are the only determining factor in winning and losing. Regardless of the debacle created by the poor officiating and its direct influence on the final outcome, after all is said and done, the Sooners will have a loss and the Ducks will have their win."
Ummmm ... were it not for the poor officiating, the Sooners "indisputably" would have had more points than the Ducks.
" ... that this mess didn't happen in a game between two great teams where it might have impacted their chances of playing in the National Championship Game."
Yeah. It is good that nothing important was on the line here. It was just a game, no big deal. As a matter of fact, unless it is a national title game or has some impact on it, even showing up to play the game is optional, right? SUUURE this unfair loss doesn't hurt OU. SUUURE it has no potential to impact their season, especially with 19 - 21 year olds who came to Norman expecting to play for a national title contender and had to deal with a terrible (by their standards) season last year. If not getting to play in the Rose Bowl caused Cal to not show up at Texas Tech, if losing to Southern Cal caused Fresno to quit on their season, what do you think this might do to an OU team that already lost their star QB to NCAA infractions?
And by the way, if OU does go 13 - 1 (which they may well do) you KNOW they are going to look back on this game. And of Oregon goes 12 - 0 (which they may well do), you KNOW that people are going to look back on this game. People are also going to look back on this game if Southern Cal goes undefeated and people are wanting to use their victory over "a great Oregon team that beat Oklahoma out of conference" as a reason to leapfrog them over West Virginia (or Louisville), Michigan, or an SEC team. People are going to look back on this game if both Oregon is a contender for an at - large BCS spot, and ESPECIALLY of Oklahoma is contending for an at - large spot too. And if no teams finish undefeated and there are a bunch of 12 - 1 and 11 - 1 teams to pick from? Wow! You had better HOPE that BOTH Oregon and Oklahoma go on to have 8 - 4 or 9 - 3 type seasons, cause otherwise this PAC - 10 "home job" will be talked about for quite awhile. Now if that happens I will defend Oregon until the cows come home, but I do not know how much company I will have among non - PAC - 10 fans.
Caitlin said:
posted on September 18, 2006 12:20 PM — 216.201.192.30 — link — abuse?
First of all, yes OU should have gotten those two TD when we were so close. It should not have come down to one lousy ref call. Even the ESPN guys were saying that the calls were lousy on both sides. I say we should fire those refs and have a rematch fair and square.
So Cal USMC said:
posted on September 18, 2006 12:34 PM — 204.62.68.23 — link — abuse?
Overall the Ducks did out-play the Sooners...Bad call favored Oregon on the Kick... but a Bad Call favored Oklahoma on their previous Touchdown; Offensive Pass Interference was NOT called, when it was Just as "Clear".
Gerald said:
posted on September 18, 2006 12:41 PM — 65.12.162.103 — link — abuse?
The Mayor:
Time for you to show some class here, buddy. Your team WON, ok? Be happy. But please understand that Oklahoma just suffered a CRUSHING LOSS that was TOTALLY UNFAIR. Did it mean that it was unfair to Oregon to win? OF COURSE NOT! Oregon played a great game (4 turnovers notwithstanding) and Oregon still had to make plays to take advantage of the bad calls. But was it fair to Oklahoma to lose in that manner? OF COURSE NOT!
Take, for instance Auburn in 2004 or Penn State in 2004. Was it fair to Nebraska and Southern Cal to be declared sole national champs? OF COURSE. But was that outcome fair to Auburn or Southern Cal? OF COURSE NOT. Admitting that it was unfair to the other parties took nothing away from Nebraska or Southern Cal's undefeated seasons, and admitting that Oklahoma suffered from a bunch of blown calls that all went Oregon's way in a critical stretch of the game does nothing to negate the fact that despite all that went on, there was still a game to be won and Oregon won it.
All it takes is a simple: "Hey Oklahoma fans, great game, sorry about those bad calls that went against you that probably cost you the game ... that really sucks ... but hey a win's a win and we'll take it, so best of luck with the rest of the season and you know what they say, there's always
Dane Strausz said:
posted on September 16, 2006 11:45 PM — 209.237.66.238 — link — abuse?3 words....GET OVER IT!!!! What a bunch of whiner losers! You'd think you were the first to have calls go awry! If the Big Bad Laters were any good, how come it was soooo close even though we played horribly! 4 T.O's and you guys are whining? You sucked!!!! Face it! Geez!