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 don’t 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 11–1–1 (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 10–2–1, 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 next year!"
The inability of Oregon (and PAC - 10) fans to merely manage even that - and how they instead quickly revert to the old dumb "west coast bias" arguments - is mighty revealing, just as the "screw Auburn, they didn't deserve to go to the title game, the SEC is overrated, they can't score, Southern Cal would have killed them anyway, they are a bunch of whiners" nonsense that came from the west coast AT THE VERY SAME TIME THAT THEY WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT CAL NOT GOING TO THE ROSE BOWL was revealing. It is about principles, my good man, and by defending the indefensible you are showing a great willingness to bend and suspend them.
And I do not want to hear about how "if they were so good and deserved to win, they would have found a way to ... bad calls is no excuse." First off, do you say that when it happens to you? When Oregon was left out of the BCS title game in favor of Nebraska, did you blame Oregon for losing by 2 TDs at home to a very average Stanford team? Of course you didn't. Southern Cal and PAC - 10 fans certainly did not blame their not playing in the BCS title game on losing to an 8 - 6 Cal team that lost to 6 - 7 UCLA and to two mid - majors. Again, principles.
Second, who is to say that Oklahoma was better than Oregon anyway? What if the two teams were evenly matched? What if Oregon was actually better? Or of Oklahoma was better, but not by much? What if Oklahoma lacked the ability to decisively beat Oregon? They sure as heck didn't decisively beat Oregon in that bowl game, did they?
In that case, you would have Oklahoma battling valiantly against tough odds only to have the officials make the bar even higher for them at the very end. There should be no way to get around the fact that it stinks if you are an Oklahoma fan, and if you are an Oregon fan the only thing that you have to be happy about is the fact that your team won and played well (again, 4 turnovers notwithstanding) doing it, and that there are Oregon and PAC - 10 fans saying anything otherwise is ridiculous.
So Cal USMC said:
posted on September 18, 2006 1:02 PM — 204.62.68.23 — link — abuse?
The Mayor,
can you justify Bellotti's decision to put Leaf in?!! That was Horrible, and the fans let him know. It killed Oregon's momentum (that fair-catch fumble/turnover didnt help either).
Dixon is the guy, he should mess with it - who was the QB that killed Oregon's drive with an in-explicable Interception in Last year's Oklahoma game (Holiday Bowl)?... it was Leaf... Why?Nicod3mus said:
posted on September 18, 2006 1:07 PM — 24.248.170.134 — link — abuse?
The replay was completely conclusive and everyone who saw it that wasn't a completely jaded Oregon fan (the coaches, the crew on the field, the ABC commentators, the entire ESPN crew, etc.)know that if the call was made right there is a 99% chance that OU wins that game. Oregon had lost to OU the previous 6 times and they lost this one. Oregon played a great game and dixon and stewart were impressive, unfortunately they lost this one and forever tarnished their school's and their conference's name in my mind. If I were Bob Stoop's I would have publicly announced that my team would never play with a PAC 10 officiating crew again.
So Cal USMC said:
posted on September 18, 2006 1:08 PM — 204.62.68.23 — link — abuse?
Gerald,
You're a funny guy. Yeah, its USC fans that have "something against" Awburn, LSU... Yeah, right. (what did I say about Auburn anyway?)LSU fans are SHAMELESS is what I have "against" LSU. And LSU fans are utterly ridiculous with their "have something against" USC.
Jeff Daniels said:
posted on September 18, 2006 1:16 PM — 168.8.248.180 — link — abuse?
This post is referring to post #72 by Monte. I am absolutely flabbergasted by the amount of Oregon fans that are on here justifying those 3 horrible decisions or incorrect calls late in the game. The game is over and Oklahoma officially took the L but be objective and call it for what it is. I'm not going to say that refs were paid but the last 2 minutes of the game have to make you wonder. Please do not complain about judgement calls. You cannot argue a judgement call such as pass intererence, holding, clipping etc. Once those calls are made, you have to stick with the call, but other calls such as whether someone steps out of bound (Malcolm Kelley) touchdown are allowed to be reviewed and changed as was his touchdown. The sadness lies in the fact that officials were able to review the call for 4 or 5 minutes and still got the call wrong. The explanation was horrible, saying that there was conclusive evidence that Oklahoma touched the ball first. What game film was he watching. In the end, Oregon didn't even recover the onside kick. I have one big question for all of the Oregon fans from an unbiased position. WHO RECOVERED THE ONSIDE KICK FOR YOU GUYS? WHAT NUMBER WAS HE WEARING?
This was a black eye for all of college football and it may become even blacker if Oklahoma runs the tables and finishes with one loss to OREGON!
The Mayor said:
posted on September 18, 2006 1:54 PM — 24.23.202.200 — link — abuse?
So Cal,
Word from my friends on that side of the field...Dixon was getting retaped for the first play. Belloti left Leaf in for the next two.
Whatever, booing it was inexcusable. I am sorry to say there a lot of bandwagon fans at Oregon. I didn't hear Sooner Nation booing their team and coaching in the first half.
eab said:
posted on September 18, 2006 1:59 PM — 206.253.95.5 — link — abuse?
Fact #1 - Bad calls happen in football games.
Fact #2 - Bad calls happened to both the Ducks and Sooners in this game.
Fact #3 - The only reason the Sooners' fans care about the bad calls in because the Sooners lost the game.
Fact #4 - Times have changed and it is about time that everybody east of the west coast just plain admits the PAC-10 is actually good at football.
Fact #5 - The reason why the rest of the country doesn't realize this is become of the press not giving the Pac-10 the credit it deserves.(expect USC)
Fact #6 - I have lived on the east coast and seen ACC, SEC, and Big East football. I have seen The Hokies, Hurricanes, Gators, Bulldogs, etc. play. Now I live in Big 12 country and have been to Sooner, Cornhusker, and Buff games. Yes indeed, I have seen the PAC-10 in action to. It is all the same...give the PAC 10 the credit that is waaaaaaaayyyy over due and as they say on the Mike and Mike show on ESPN, "JUST SHUT UP!"
Good luck to all teams the rest of the season.
brian said:
posted on September 18, 2006 2:08 PM — 67.133.62.41 — link — abuse?
Oklahoma Fans were talking trash to the students whom live across the street because they could not afford tickets(no kidding they are in College)
Oklahoma wide recievers were pushing off. ( no cheating there?)
Oregon Fans were leaving early ( Fair weather fans)
It was a great game. The officials blew tons of calls not just the 2 in Oregons favor.
Duck fans don't gloat.
Sooner fans quit pouting.
Ducks fan said:
posted on September 18, 2006 2:12 PM — 67.171.227.211 — link — abuse?
to OU fans: tough luck for losing the game on those two oviously bad calls. but get over it.
yes, those two calls were terrible but i dont hear anyone mentioning anything about OU benefiting from the so-called pass-interference in the 1st half for an uncatchable ball on 3rd and long (that drive resulted in a touchdown). How about not calling the ovious pass-interference against OU at the end of the fist half which would have put the ducks in OU endzoon. what about not calling OU in 3rd q on 3rd and long for delying the game (that drive too resulted in touch down)...3 bad calls that robbed the ducks of at least 15 pionts differential. it is too bad that only the 2 last calls recieved national attention while several bad ones through out the game were hardly noticed. This is pure hypocricy.No, iam not saying that they justify what happen at the end of the game nor iam trying to engage in the-who-got-hurt-the-most discussion. my point is that bad calls took place and this is football. you get over it and you take what you have.
besides, game stats clearly show that the ducks were superior to the Sooners. it shouldn't have been that close(even with these bad calls). thanks to 4 TO
James said:
posted on September 18, 2006 2:19 PM — 208.49.61.14 — link — abuse?
My thing is that if the Okies D was so great, even with the bad calls, that should have fired them up and put a stop to the Oregon O, but, they lacked what they needed to win. Waa waa waa, BOTH sides need to just get over it, whats done is done, Oregon did the get the win with what everyone is calling "questionable" calls. Its happened so many times throughout the history of college football, but now that its actually hit home for the Sooners which was bound to happen SOONER or later, HA HA HA HA HA, so funny!! Anyway it now sucks to actually be in the shoes of those who have suffered the wrath of "questionable" calls. What goes around comes around. I feel like I'm back in February when the Super Bowl took place. But enough with that, what really cheesed me the most being a hard core duck fan, WAS THE FANS!!! WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!!!!!!!!!! Booing Bellotti who leads this team with great leadership, who has definitely turned this program around, doubting his calls!! Where were you guys when the boys needed you the most? Half of you were already in your stinking cars waiting for the next open spot to pull out. I REALLY HOPE YOUR BANNERS FELL OUT WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE 5. Also, as seen by true fans in the stadium, there was a stampede from the parking lots rushing back to the stadium once the cheers started arising. And you call yourself fans, pshht, right? If you were true fans, you would have stuck through to the end. KUDOS to all of those whose stuck behind THE BOYS when it was needed. I must admit, I almost gave up on the boys, but I didn't change channels or go do something else, I was there the whole stinking time, cheering on my team!! If you're going to be spending that kind of money for those tickets, make it worth it, you may never know when you get what you paid for and witness history!! IF YOU'RE REAL DUCK FANS, SHOW YOUR TRUE PRIDE!!
Brad said:
posted on September 18, 2006 4:06 PM — 63.105.29.92 — link — abuse?
Blame your loss on poor officiating if it makes your pain lessen, but that fails to explain why the vaunted Sooner offense, on four separate occasions, once with a first down and goal at the two yard line, lacked the skill or muscle to put the ball in the end zone and had to kick a field goal. Succeed in scoring six on even one of those opportunities and the onsides kick would have been moot. The bottom line is that on September 16, 2006, the better team won.
FanoftheGame said:
posted on September 18, 2006 4:06 PM — 12.43.234.14 — link — abuse?
Gerald, aside from the literary humor, your post was way the hell out there. You seem to have gotten on quite a little rant about the importance of this particular game. All game are important to the teams that play them and their fans, no doubt about that. However, your statements about Oregon and Oklahoma winning out there season "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)" are assinine. Your implyiing that they "may well do" applies to all teams,not jsut OU and UO. Unless of course, you meant it as being highly likely to win out, in which case you must smoking the same thing the replay officials were smoking. As well, USC is rankied ahead of West Virginia, Louisville and Michigan. If they in fact win out then they will more than likely stay ranked ahead of these schools and I'm not sure you can "leapfrog" a team that is ranked below you allready, unless you leap backwards. For the record, I was pullling for the Sooners and I do believe the officiating cost them a victory. However, the Sooners are no where near where they used to be as a team when they were playing for National Championships. This was a tough loss, and I'm sure there next loss will be easier to swallow. Keep up the blogging we need more humor in these posts.
FanoftheGame said:
posted on September 18, 2006 4:16 PM — 12.43.234.14 — link — abuse?
Missed calls and bad calls are a part of the game. Had the onside kick and the pass interference not been reviewed and stood as called. There would be unhappy Sooner fans, but not as much made about it. The officials make judgement calls at game speed and are going to mess up. The problem with all of this is that the plays that where reviewed, slowed down, ran back, and played over in slow motion and then in still frame where undoubtable as to what should have been called, even to Duck fans. Yes the refs blew calls against Oregon as well. The big problem though is with the replay and the idea that replay was implimented to get the "reviewed" calls right and it failed in this case.
yumasooner said:
posted on September 18, 2006 4:25 PM — 209.181.109.94 — link — abuse?
The Pac1Little9 will remain the same until it actually tries to add some legitimacy to its officiating and compliance efforts (eh, Reggie). Alex, I don't know what game you were watching but the clock question (upon which tv's clock often varies from the official game clock: by the way, did you notice that ABC had 8:18 left for about ten minutes even though there was continuous play) resulted in a completion, not a touch down. Kelly was properly ruled out of bounds. And the onsides kick review was cited as being "conclusive evidence" that OU touched the ball first. The Pac1Little9 officials can only legitimize their conference by suspending the officials. Interesting that no Oregon player was given "credit" for recovering the onside kick in the official game stats.
ut fan said:
posted on September 18, 2006 5:17 PM — 67.101.68.159 — link — abuse?
i'm a longhorn and i hate OU, so w/any opponent of OU lies my allegiance. having said that, this was a total snow job. no one is questioning whether there are bad calls made in games. no one is even arguing that during the course of EVERY game there are bad calls. can't be avoided. what CAN be avoided are egregious errors by officials. these calls were reviewed by officials, and they still got them wrong. the majority of people who are debating this are not arguing that. many of the arguments on here are totally invalid. "ou should have managed time better".."ou should have scored from the 2".."quit whining, there are bad calls in every game" etc etc. none of these have anything to do with the bad calls that DID happen. these calls SHOULD have been corrected, but inexplicably weren't. that OU didn't score from the 2 has nothing to do with officials robbing sooners of the game. Okla. is not complaining that they got robbed at the 2, and those of us that watched are not blaming the officials for that. nor for clock management or anything else that may have, despite what happened, won it for them. that has ZERO to do with what happened. everything else is debateable, may or may not have changed the outcome of the game, and would have played out via the PLAYERs, not the refs. these were two incredibly terrible calls. now, place these calls IN CONTEXT, the game on the line, the rankings of the teams, and the fact that PAC 10 is the only major to NOT ALLOW visiting team's officials, it's just very very hard for a person of reasonable intelligent NOT to think these were not rigged calls. the calls were bad. claiming they should have/could have won any way,or that bad calls happen all the time is irrelevant: these calls were bad, they had a chance to correct them, and it's easy, as well as legitimate, to think they CHOSE not to. to say that they're not right to complain and to defend the result is just a spin, as well as broken logic. anyone here who argues differently is just simply wrong. and you all should know that. i feel sorry for the sooners, but i feel sorrier for the reasonable fans of oregon b/c no one's gonna let this one go for a long time. and they shouldn't. good luck against USC. go longhorns!
texas fan said:
posted on September 18, 2006 6:01 PM — 216.104.67.252 — link — abuse?
quit crying sooner fan. you all are a bunch of frickin whinners...you lost, there were bad calls on both sides and now your president wants to have the game voided...god i hate you guys so much..go back to your hick towns and cry in your dry counties because you suck, you have no beer and your a sooner fan...GO DUCKS!!!!!!!!
The Mayor said:
posted on September 18, 2006 6:08 PM — 24.23.202.200 — link — abuse?
Yumasooner,
The lowly Pac 1 - Little 9 had four wins and zero losses against the Big-12 this weekend. I guess our officials were pretty busy blowing calls up and down the coast...how else could we arrange a sweep.
What other big games do you refer to that were so badly officiated by Pac-10 officials? This is a conspiracy that is new to me. Since it is mentioned more than once in this blog, someone please enlighten me.
The Oregon victory seems a little hollow this morning. I had two bets on the game, both of which I have declined to accept payment because of all the whining I heard from the offended parties.
You still own us by the way, we're 1-6 versus the Sooners. The 34 points we scored Saturday were more than combined output of the previous six games by the Ducks against the Sooners. In the grand scheme of things, we have little to gloat over.
Do you really want your legacy to be that of a cry baby and poor sport? As many of the better Sooner have said, move on and throw your energy behind your team. Take the loss like a man.
posted on September 18, 2006 6:22 PM — link — abuse?
Before you waste too much energy call the Sooners "whiners", I would pay very close attention to Fanblogs for a big update on this story.
So Cal USMC said:
posted on September 18, 2006 6:24 PM — 204.62.68.23 — link — abuse?
Yuma,
Not including USC's wins over Nebraska and Arkansas, the remaining 9 teams in the PAC have wins over Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah, Fresno St, Fresno St (again), Reno, BYU, etc...Now tell me who have the 12 teams in the XII beaten? UTEP and Toledo, Washington?... and...???
Check the replay... Oregon were skrewed by Refs too, in the 3rd Quarter: Offensive Pass-Interference by the Oklahoma WR was Not Called, that "shouldnt have been a TD" using the same Bad-Call-arguement.
posted on September 18, 2006 6:34 PM — link — abuse?
UPDATE #1:
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.
posted on September 18, 2006 6:37 PM — link — abuse?
Update #2: 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.
Don Smith said:
posted on September 18, 2006 6:38 PM — 72.135.23.199 — link — abuse?
Ducks Fans - Guess all the whining by us Sooner Fans is justified. Your own PAC 10 admitted the faulty officiating and apologized to the Sooner Nation. Oh yeah, the cheatin refs were suspended for one week. Just long enough for the bye week by Oregon - guess they'll be back just in time for the next weeks officiating help.
No Sympathy said:
posted on September 18, 2006 7:00 PM — 24.22.17.160 — link — abuse?
Here's the deal. The game was a solid one. Calls went both ways. There were four mistakes by the officials, two going each way. Fair game.
Missed calls -
1. Jonathan Stewart fumble: This one went to the Sooners. Bad video replays were inconclusive at reversing call, but photographs show that he was down before fumble.2. Play clock violation no call: Prior to the pass that ended up at the Oregon 1 yard line near the end of the game, the play clock had expired which would have given OU a 3rd and 12 near midfield.
3. Onside kick miscall.
4. Pass interference.
So, everyone needs to pipe down and let it go. Calls go both ways, and it's just a game... whhich the Ducks are going to ride into a BCS bowl game. Whah Whah.
Wiggles said:
posted on September 18, 2006 7:13 PM — 67.133.62.41 — link — abuse?
THe whole argument is because of the review rule. You get rid of play reviews and OU fans would be dealing with a devastating loss with the mouth closed. The fact is the officials have to call it as they see it, review can overturn under strict conclusive evidence. Everyone here has been right in one way or another. I am a huge duck fan and I conclusively could have changed maybe 5 calls, on both teams which could have changed a whole lot of stuff. Suspending them and trying to fix this with suspensions and record changes is juvenile. You wanna fix it , get rid of play reviews all together and let this game be fun again.
Cuda said:
posted on September 18, 2006 7:45 PM — 24.22.65.30 — link — abuse?
Well, I stand corrected. It was pointed out that the replay officials are indeed from the Pac-10. It is good to see so many people willing to launch a tirade of names if someone does not agree with another or if they, god forbide, make an incorrect statement. Many of these people on this sight blow and it is a waste of time posting here. The Ducks won, are a better team, and I have better things to do with my time. Peace
G. Thompson said:
posted on September 18, 2006 7:47 PM — 70.234.110.215 — link — abuse?
That Is terrable for the ( Lucky Ducks to win by cheating and then not beeing able to go on. We maybe a hick town but we know how to play ball and not have to cheat to win. It should be open season on you morions!
Tommie Trojan said:
posted on September 18, 2006 8:06 PM — 206.135.38.195 — link — abuse?
The Quacks still didn't cover the spread - so I don't understand what the officials were up to. They would have had to find a way to get an Oregon player to return the blocked FG for a TD in the whaning seconds in order to not have that contract put down on them. Either way, they may as well get out of town.
Tommie T
The Professor said:
posted on September 18, 2006 8:07 PM — 128.223.111.154 — link — abuse?
The Professor:
I feel your pain, Sooner fans, and no doubt would feel the same if tables were reversed. Too many apparently bad calls -- both ways -- throughout the game, and especially to have the outcome tainted at the end is sad. So, sorry, Sooners, and good luck with the rest of your games. Neither team deserves to have their efforts on the field taken away from them. None of the controversy is their fault. So, as a Duck fan, I have no complaints about the Sooner anger.I only have two exceptions on the Sooner complaints. First, to the few rabid Sooner fans who suggest the referees were paid by Phil Knight to fix the game, get a grip! Second, do you really want the President of OU to ask that a football game be set aside? It is bad enough to pull in an academic president, but on such a dead end issue as setting aside a game result? Really, when was the last time that happened for calls on the field? Oh, yes, perhaps the five-down touchdown in the Colorado game a few years ago?
Dennis said:
posted on September 18, 2006 8:11 PM — 209.181.153.246 — link — abuse?
I've been football fan for more then 50years people get screwed I've seen it manny manny times the best screw job was Nebraska at PENN State I belive it was around 1990 it cost us a nationalchamptionship for you people that been around for awhile know what I mean do you ever get over? it? I Didn't but thats me if I remember corectly Penn State's QB was TODD Blacklage
Tommie Trojan said:
posted on September 18, 2006 8:14 PM — 206.135.38.195 — link — abuse?
They cheat the Trojans every single game just to try and hold the score down. USC must have been called for fifteen holdings against Nebraska. Thomas Williams explodes into Zach Taylor's face and the ball clearly comes out at the moment of impact and the Trojans run it back for a TD and the ref's rule that Taylor was down! The ball was flyin' up in the air while the guy was still standing upright! Come on! These little things may cause us some BCS points. And, the Trojans never start cryin' - they just play. So, give that play back and if the Trojans wanted to score from the two at the end of the game they could have - it would have been at least 42-10! God knows what it might have been without all of the holding nonsense.
Tommie T
OU Fan said:
posted on September 18, 2006 8:14 PM — 72.161.218.78 — link — abuse?
Mayor, I am OK with the loss. Remember, just because 1 man wants something doesn't mean that all of us Oklahoma fans want the same thing. I'm glad justice was served, and I'm alright with the loss and ready for the season to move on and I don't think the loss should be "striked" from the record. Texas Fan, I think OU will beat Texas this year. I just have that feeling. Go Sooners!!
Dawgfan said:
posted on September 18, 2006 8:20 PM — 66.194.143.162 — link — abuse?
What is just outraguous as the incompetent officials calling the game are the incompetent voters in the polls who only read the score in the papers and don't watch the games or even take into consideration injustices such as this.
Here Duckie, Duckie, Duckie said:
posted on September 18, 2006 8:23 PM — 71.213.226.54 — link — abuse?
Post 70:
"Post 64, have you forgot about 17-14 in December."
At least Oregon didn't lose to TCU at home. The Frogs own the Little 12. Just wait until they shut out the Texas offense next year.
Oregon can handle opponents from weaker non-BCS conferences, but apparently, Little 12 teams like Oklahoma, Iowa State, Baylor, and Texas Tech cannot. The Sooners wouldn't win 5 games in the PAC-10. Besides, our officials obviously don't like you. You're an Iowa to our Michigan!
joe1duck said:
posted on September 18, 2006 8:24 PM — 128.223.227.165 — link — abuse?
Folks, it's time to put this one away. I'm a student at Oregon and a Eugene resident. All day at the game on Saturday I saw folks in green and folks in red tailgating, drinking, and talking football together like people with a rational understanding of what this was: a football game where human error exists and the point is to have fun and support your school. With 5:00 to go, when I thought the Ducks were done for, I didn't start swearing at the Oklahoma fans (and there were a LOT), and they didn't start gloating. The fans who came to Eugene drove a long way to see the game, and they must have been pretty disappointed with those calls, but they stayed classy even at the end. It would be nice if the coaching staff and university president down at Oklahoma could take a cue from the Sooner fans who came here. Just shake hands and say "good game," like adults do after a football game.
A Fan Overseas said:
posted on September 18, 2006 8:43 PM — 210.146.98.102 — link — abuse?
From the PAC10's most crooked person, Commissioner Tom Hansen, "Errors clearly were made and not corrected, and for that we apologize to the University of Oklahoma, coach Bob Stoops and his players," Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen said in a statement. "They played an outstanding college football game, as did Oregon, and it is regrettable that the outcome of the contest was affected by the officiating."
Oops, the PAC10 officials made 'some' mistakes, that makes it all better now....
Yep, integrity is thriving out on the west coast... the kind of integrity the whole nation saw last saturday.
A Fan Overseas said:
posted on September 18, 2006 9:33 PM — 210.146.98.102 — link — abuse?
As Tommie Trojan puts it, it seems like everyone in the PAC10 'KNOWS' their officiating is bad. But nothing is being done to improve it,,,, yep, like I said before, integrity is thriving out on the west coast... the kind of integrity the whole nation saw last Saturday.
The Mayor said:
posted on September 18, 2006 9:52 PM — 24.23.202.200 — link — abuse?
Gerald,
Post 90. What in the hell are you talking about? Why is always about the SEC with you? I was disappointed with Kevin Donahue for his blog about The Ducks.
I felt as the brain trust for this website that he should be unbiased.
I left Eugene yesterday morning without picking up a paper or watching TV. Had a great day visiting some of Oregons better wineries. Got home last night and was shocked at the reaction to this game. As I was not exposed to the rantings of the TV and Radio commentators and the game went my way, I was surprised. The Sooners I spoke with after the game felt robbed but accepted the outcome.
Again, because we all support this website, I was irritated with Kevin's opinion. Although he is entitled to one, I felt like he should be more objective like a journalist and not a fan...but hell it's his website and I don't know why I ever felt that way.
Don't look for either of these teams in the BCS, defensive units aren't good enough to get through either conference without a loss or two. By season's end, this will be forgotten and you'll still be bitching about The SEC's treatment by the West Coast media mafia.
hookem said:
posted on September 18, 2006 9:58 PM — 70.253.89.164 — link — abuse?
Great game!!!! I pray every nite for an oklahoma loss. That game made me laugh and laugh. Then my laugh turned to a giggle, then a smile. Now i have a tear....i hope mack brown never schedules an away game with the Yac-10.
JK said:
posted on September 18, 2006 10:12 PM — 71.193.220.73 — link — abuse?
I am a University of Washington grad, and have first hand experience dealing with the ducks and there fans, considering they are our most hated rival. Theres not much that is more satisfying than watching the ducks and there fans lose, (except a huskies win of course). However I do have to say that while i was watching this game saturday, those ducks thouroughly outplayed the sooners. First of all like many have mentioned those supposed "biased pac-10 refs" tried to hand the game to the sooners throughout the first 58 minutes with some terrible calls that could have easily put the game completely out of reach for oregon. Also the onside kick call was very close, but considering that the call on the field was ducks ball, I can see how it could stand after review. The only call the sooners have to complain about is the last pass interference call, which a blind person could see was tipped but unfortunately for OU, that really should have had no impact on the game. The very next play Oregon's reciever was so wide open he could have scored in the endzone at Oklahoma memorial stadium. OKLAHOMA SECONDARY - HOW DID YOU LEAVE PAYSINGER SO WIDE OPEN?!?!?!
Impartial said:
posted on September 18, 2006 10:20 PM — 64.185.188.108 — link — abuse?
I watched all the great games this Saturday and most as an impartial observer (with the exception of over-rated Notre Dame getting beat.)
As for Oregon-Oklahoma, I can not remember such critical calls going so obviously wrong at the end of a game. The officials should be fully investigated and suspended much longer than one game. They should have to publically oppologize before returning to officiate. Now I would like to see the PAC-10 get what they have coming to them like maybe an Oklahoma-Oregon rematch in a bowl. I have lost some respect for the PAC-10 conference over this. Many think the PAC-10 is weak and they do not play the competition of the SEC, Big 10 & Big 12 and now we have obvious bias to boot. Everone has opinions, but the film don't lie.....it is sad and undefendable.WA HUSKERS said:
posted on September 18, 2006 10:39 PM — 67.170.149.19 — link — abuse?
I'm a University of Nebraska grad living in Washington. This clearly was a case of officials not standing up to the pressures of officating in a hostile home environment. I've seen this many times over in college football. This game is;however; much difference in the sense that this crew was willing to deplay this bad behavior in front of a national audience with slow motion replay showing the errors over and over.
Yikes! These folks have brought the lack of integrity of the game to a new level.Dan said:
posted on September 18, 2006 10:53 PM — 70.116.65.134 — link — abuse?
I'm from Kentucky and couldn't have cared less about who won that game, but Oklahoma got hosed. Instant replay was brought in to get on the field mistakes corrected, and this one was clearly botched. I would love to hear the opinion from the replay official as to what he thought he saw...cause I can't see it. Why don't we ever get to hear from them?
And as far as these "other calls" that went OU's way, I didn't watch the entire game, but pass interference calls are ALWAYS subjective (ask Seahawk fans from Superbowl XL), so I don't think you're allowed to point to a "no call" against an OU receiver as the pivotal point to justifing this victory. And as for that non "delay-of-game" call, the ESPN clock is not the official clock...you can't go by that. You have no idea how much time was left unless you have a replay showing the real clock.
Officiating should never determine the outcome of a game, and if I were an Oklahoma fan, I would be pissed.
Look, in the books, its a victory for the Ducks, but I'd take it and run if I were a duck fan instead of ripping the Sooners for being angry...they have every right to be.
Elvis Lives said:
posted on September 18, 2006 10:55 PM — 24.20.117.178 — link — abuse?
JK.....that about sums it up...I just looked at a series of photos taken from a high speed camera, they are very close and very clear, and even zooming in on the pictures there is no way to tell.....the problem is that #4's hand is in front of #19's chest.....his glove and the ducks uniform is very dark, and they both seem to blend together.....this is a very close call....very very close.....if it's a very close call in the replay booth there is no way that they will overturn the call on the field.....good call? bad call? I can't tell, it's too close and i've been looking at the pictures for 30 minutes....
posted on September 18, 2006 11:04 PM — link — abuse?
The Mayor - Biased? Me? For OU? Nah. I've got no love for the Sooners.
I can understand if some of the Oregon people take it that way, but -- honestly -- the only thing I wanted to expose was how strongly fans & writers were pounding on this. I was personally put off by the officials, too. But biased? I didn't intend to be pro-Ducks or pro-Sooners. Just pro-the-right-thing.
Trivia said:
posted on September 18, 2006 11:21 PM — 64.185.188.108 — link — abuse?
When was the last undisputed and unshared national championship by a PAC-10 team other than USC?
1920 - California
The PAC-10 is sorry. Even USC wouldn't make it to a BCS bowl if they took a beating week in and week out in the SEC. Auburn or LSU would have lit up Oregon and the refs wouldn't have been a factor. Those refs careers are done. The PAC-10 shouldn't let them back out on the field.
Jeff said:
posted on September 18, 2006 11:26 PM — 24.20.215.165 — link — abuse?
Memo to OU President and Sooner Fans: It's a game ... get over it! As a long-time Duck fan I'm disappointed that a great victory is tainted by these questionable calls, but they were questionable throughout the entire game, including not only the play clock miscue but also the "non-fumble" by Stewart in the third quarter. So far the replay experiment is a bust. Who knows what would have happened if all the calls had been perfect?! Heck -- but for the blown pass interference call, the Ducks probably would have scored the winning TD without enough time for the Sooners to have a shot at the last minute field goal. I was at the game and can't remember a game with so many close and blown calls. But it's a game, and it's over! The Sooners were also outplayed across the board. Good luck to the Ducks and the Sooners -- I hope they both win out.
Red said:
posted on September 18, 2006 11:31 PM — 4.179.55.104 — link — abuse?
Anyone who watched the whole onside kick saw that an Oklahoma player recovered the ball. It doesn't matter who touched it first, Oklahoma recovered.
If that is not enough, why were the officials, both on the field and in the replay booth, suspended for 1 game? Why were the announcers outraged?
Sounds like more than Ducks fans or Sooners fans saw what really happened.
Oklahoma won. Ducks lost a hard fought game. Great teams both, but fair is fair. This game was won by the boys in the booth.
Steve said:
posted on September 18, 2006 11:45 PM — 68.12.168.36 — link — abuse?
The thing is that instant replay is supposed to be there to correct mistakes made on the field. Here the mistakes on the field go far beyond the usual ref screw ups. I'll focus on the kickoff. You got touching the ball by Oregon before 10 yards, you got contact by Oregon with Oklahoma before the ball traveled 10 yards, you got Oklahoma recovering the ball. The refs on the field signaled the ball for Oregon without ever seeing the ball in Oregon possession. If you're a ref, you know an onside kick is coming. You know what to look for. To make it suck even more than what happened some guy supposedly watched it on replay and jacked Oklahoma again. It's the biggest officiating travesty since the infamous 5th down. The reality of the game aside from the outcome being changed by officiating is that Oregon and Oklahoma played crappy games on defense and special teams. A 2-1 record for either team accurately reflects where they are at due to these issues rather than where they're at due to officiating. Both teams need to come out of this fighting like 2-1 teams rather than Oregon bragging about what a great game they played (NOT on defense or special teams) or Oklahoma whining about getting ripped (rather than focusing on what a great job it's quarterback did and facing their weaknesses on defense and special teams). The one game suspension is weak. A three game suspension would be a more appropriate penalty for the behavior exhibited by the officiating crew. This was not just a game that ended with bad calls. It was a game with bad calls that ended with one of the biggest screw ups ever in college football. The replay guy should lose his job without question.
Ducks won said:
posted on September 19, 2006 12:08 AM — 71.193.220.73 — link — abuse?
As a ducks fan who was at the game, lets just put an end to all this bs. It was very clear watching this game that the ducks were faster, smarter, better coached, and executed better all game!!! Oklahoma played well and has a great program. But cmon sooners fans there was questionable calls throughout the game, and as JK said that last pass interference had no impact on the game, we still would have scored easily on your soft defense. Jonathon Stewart vs. AP was a great matchup, and its a shame that all these sooner fans and media have to taint the greatness of Stewart by talking about that onside kick that was way to close to change the call. And for the last time sooner fans, the call was blown dead BEFORE your sneaky #23 snatched the ball away. GET OVER IT
Sean said:
posted on September 19, 2006 12:12 AM — 66.177.63.34 — link — abuse?
oregon fan.....#23 Allen Patrick recovered the onside kick OU's ball pretty simple right? so on what basis do you have the right to call Sooner fans "whiners" because i sure as hell didnt see anywhere in the game when officials took the ball fom oregon and give it to OU! but i did see them take the ball from OU and give it to oregon, care to give a valid explanation for that. its not a question of fairness or calls going either way. its officials giving oregon the ball for no reason!
OU Fan said:
posted on September 19, 2006 12:17 AM — 72.161.218.78 — link — abuse?
To Here Duckie, Duckie, Duckie, Post #129. Dude you are an idiot. I'm aware that OU lost to TCU in Norman last season, but I didn't whine and bitch about it then and I'm not doing it now. Just a little info for your pathetic a$$: OU has 7 Natl Championships, 39 Conference Championships, 4 Heisman Trophy winners, and 47 consecutive wins which is an NCAA Division I record. OU has been to 3 national title games since 2000, and of course won it in 2000. OU has possible matchups with LSU, FSU, Miami for sure, Tennessee, and I read the other day about maybe Ohio State. The Sooners had a tough season last year and still came out with a Holiday Bowl victory. Now Bob Stoops: Head Coaches such as Mark Mangino of Kansas, Mike Leach of Texas Tech, Mike Stoops of Arizona, and Chuck Long of San Diego State all worked under Bob Stoops at OU. Bob Stoops has won 3 Big 12 conference championships. Bob Stoops is 5-2 against Texas and in 2000 and 2003 gave Texas 2 of their worst losses in the history of the rivalry. I remember in the 2003 Rose Bowl, OU beat Washington State. I also know that since 2000, a Big 12 team has been in the National Title game 5 times. I bet you if you stood in the field one on one with Adrian Peterson, he'd knock your pathetic a$$ into the middle of next week. You are pathetic Here Duckie, Duckie, Duckie. Go Tulsa!! Beat Texas! Go Sooners!! Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Gator fan said:
posted on September 19, 2006 12:17 AM — 67.168.231.220 — link — abuse?
Officiating is part of the game. No game is perfect. Just relax and enjoy the fun. ITS A GAME FOR GAWD'S SAKE! I teach my children to not let the officials get them down, when they make a call, they make a call, and then a good player/coach/fan moves on. Is this the first time something like this has happened?
Instant reply will not fix all mistakes. They are going to happen in an imperfect world. Accept it.
HOOK THIS !! said:
posted on September 19, 2006 12:36 AM — 152.163.100.196 — link — abuse?
ATTENTION ALL SOONER FANS...ATTENTION ALL SOONER FANS...PUT THIS INTO YOUR THICK, CROMAGNON, INCEST RIDDEN SKULLS....YOU LOST BECAUSE YOUR DEFENSE FAILED TO STOP THE DUCKS ON THEIR LAST TWO DRIVES AND BECAUSE YOUR KICKER CAN'T KICK HIGHER THAN THE DUCKS CAN JUMP...GET OVER IT!!! THE SOONER MAGIC WAS WORKING...DID YOU SEE THE DISSAPPEARING WIN TRICK !!!! LOOOOOOSSSSEEERRRSSS!!!!
PilotUSMC said:
posted on September 19, 2006 12:36 AM — 205.188.116.133 — link — abuse?
Good grief. Amazing that some Oregon fans are as blind and stupid as the ref doing the instant replay. NO CLASS AT ALL...had Oregon lost that game under the same circumstances Bob Stoops would probably have said his team didn't deserve to win. A victory under those circumstances is an embarrassment in my opinion.
Jared said:
posted on September 19, 2006 1:04 AM — 207.224.23.138 — link — abuse?
The worst thing about the ducks are the fans, thay only have eyes for the ducks, and always biased opinions, I f you agree with how the game ended then I feel sorry for ya. The ducks never should have had the onside kick plain and simple.
Alex said:
posted on September 19, 2006 1:23 AM — 24.22.32.222 — link — abuse?
I wanted to apologize to Sooner fans for my tone in my previous posts because I forgot that kids play this game. Kids who deserve our respect for a great game. It sucks for a game to end like this. I just want to say a few last things.
1: I am really disheartened by the media bias in this situation. You can tell that none of the pundits actually watched the game!!! No mention of how well the Ducks played, no mention of Dixon’s 350 yards! No mention of Peterson showing once again how unreal he is, how anyone protects the ball that well at the speed and strength I have no idea, no mention of how well the converted wide receiver played for Oklahoma, no mention of Stewart and how great he is and how much better he will be. What a damn shame! Sooner fans notice how nothing is said about the ducks and their efforts, nothing. We get this all the time while you guys get all the attention in the world.
2: The ball was blown dead when Chung recovered the ball so that is a mute point
3: Everyone is out to kill the referees who are human beings, death threats? Oklahoma fans what the hell??? ALL OKLAHOMA FANS NEED TO CONDEMN THIS RIGHT NOW!
4: Previous point adding on THE BALL WAS LESS THAN A YARD SHORT FROM TEN YARDS WITH TWO VERY LARGE ATHLETES JUMPING FOR THE BALL OBSTRUCTING THE REFS VIEW GIVE THE REFS ON THE FIELD A BREAK! AS FOR THE REPLAY OFFICIALS SAME DEAL. it is hard to tell if the ball went ten yards from an overhead view!
5: Why does everyone want to criticize the ducks? We are a fledgling program trying to make it in the northwest. We are the underdogs. We fight a time zone problem. We have been left out of a national title game behind a Nebraska team that had just been destroyed by Colorado, the same Colorado team that we destroyed in the Fiesta bowl and proved we deserved to play Miami that year. We went 12-1 last year on back up quarterbacks; our starter then is now in the NFL. We got left out of a BCS game behind a Notre Dame team that lost to the same team we did, USC, and another team the finished under 500 MSU, and barely beat a Stanford team that we crushed! Our players play hard and our city wants our team to succeed.
Kevin Donahue you continue to decry our organization know that you also do the same to the city and all the loyal fans who dream of a title. I also am now a former fan.Oklahoma fans: I will root for your team to do well the rest of the season and ask you to do the same for us. Hopefully we can meet in the end and have a better-judged contest.
Alex said:
posted on September 19, 2006 1:25 AM — 24.22.32.222 — link — abuse?
I wanted to apologize to Sooner fans for my tone in my previous posts because I forgot that kids play this game. Kids who deserve our respect for a great game. It sucks for a game to end like this. I just want to say a few last things.
1: I am really disheartened by the media bias in this situation. You can tell that none of the pundits actually watched the game!!! No mention of how well the Ducks played, no mention of Dixon’s 350 yards! No mention of Peterson showing once again how unreal he is, how anyone protects the ball that well at the speed and strength I have no idea, no mention of how well the converted wide receiver played for Oklahoma, no mention of Stewart and how great he is and how much better he will be. What a damn shame! Sooner fans notice how nothing is said about the ducks and their efforts, nothing. We get this all the time while you guys get all the attention in the world.
2: The ball was blown dead when Chung recovered the ball so that is a mute point
3: Everyone is out to kill the referees who are human beings, death threats? Oklahoma fans what the hell??? ALL OKLAHOMA FANS NEED TO CONDEMN THIS RIGHT NOW!
4: Previous point adding on THE BALL WAS LESS THAN A YARD SHORT FROM TEN YARDS WITH TWO VERY LARGE ATHLETES JUMPING FOR THE BALL OBSTRUCTING THE REFS VIEW GIVE THE REFS ON THE FIELD A BREAK! AS FOR THE REPLAY OFFICIALS SAME DEAL. it is hard to tell if the ball went ten yards from an overhead view!
5: Why does everyone want to criticize the ducks? We are a fledgling program trying to make it in the rainy northwest. We are the underdogs. We fight a time zone problem. We have been left out of a national title game behind a Nebraska team that had just been destroyed by Colorado, the same Colorado team that we destroyed in the Fiesta bowl and proved we deserved to play Miami that year for the title. We went 12-1 last year on back up quarterbacks; our starter then is now in the NFL. We got left out of a BCS game behind a Notre Dame team that lost to the same team we did, USC, and another team that finished under 500 MSU, and barely beat a Stanford team that we crushed! Our players play hard and our city wants our team to succeed.
Kevin Donahue you continue to decry our organization know that you also do the same to the city and all the loyal fans who dream of a title. I also am now a former fan.Oklahoma fans: I will root for your team to do well the rest of the season and ask you to do the same for us. Hopefully we can meet in the end and have a better-judged contest.
Greg D said:
posted on September 19, 2006 1:51 AM — 67.171.221.135 — link — abuse?
I agree that the officials blew some big calls for OU, but OU also got some calls that helped them, 2 specifically.
1) The play clock had ran to 0 before OU snapped the ball on the play that Kelly had that rediculous catch, so that play should never even have happened.
2) When that same play was over, where kelly made a great catch only to step out of bounds before going into the endzone, the officials blew the spot of the ball. The ball should have been placed on the OU 45 not the Oregon 45.So my question is, why is no one talking about these mistakes along with the OU blown calls?
Just Ducky said:
posted on September 19, 2006 1:51 AM — 67.168.231.220 — link — abuse?
"The instant replay official whose failure to overturn a bad call led to a narrow Oregon victory over Oklahoma said Monday he feels like he is under siege after threatening phone calls, including a death threat."
Silly, silly boys. This is a game. Shake hands and go home.
Kansas Lee said:
posted on September 19, 2006 2:18 AM — 68.102.169.35 — link — abuse?
Pac-10 wants and craves respect, but how can you expect to get some with only Pac-10 officials. All other non-conference games has a mix between or better yet officials from other conferences. I believe Oregon and the rest of the Pac-10 will find few teams willing to travel west when they can save expenses and homer officials. The rest of the nation will let you beat up on each other or some smaller conferences, while BCS will keep it's attention on the teams that play a conference championship and get the best of teams efforts to the finals. It's hard to say USC would have the prior two championships since Bush/USC is under investigation and the shared title is tainted with a so-so bowl game.
UO win was given to them and you should keep quiet as you did not bring an offense out on the 2nd half until the last 2 minutes.
Lynda said:
posted on September 19, 2006 2:45 AM — 134.139.194.26 — link — abuse?
I am one of many OU fans at the game. The Oregon fans were very nice. They all said "welcome" to every Sooner entering the game. The fans were courteous before, during, and after the game. The Ducks have a lot of class. It is truly unfortunate that the result of the game will forever be tainted; however, the fact is that the Sooners and Ducks can be proud of the fans who attended the game. They all represented their communities well! I applaud my Sooners and the Ducks. Let's keep this in perspective--the game is over and we need to move on. Accept the apologies and hope that good things can come from unfortunate HUMAN errors. Boomer Sooner
WVU & OU ALUM said:
posted on September 19, 2006 3:16 AM — 134.139.194.26 — link — abuse?
I was there! Saw a great game! Sat in the bowl with both bands and throngs of Sooners & Ducks. Was welcomed by Oregon fans constantly as I strolled around the tailgate lot. Left at 2 minutes to go. Stopped at an OTB/Sports Bar to catch the end. We lost, I cried, and the bartender bought my friends (1 Sooner, 1 Duck) a round and me an O'Doul's. I had a great time. It is a great memory. Please don't spoil my first visit to a truly wonderful venue by talking about the bad things. If you were there in person and had a bad experience you can speak to that. However, I doubt that there are many of the 59,000+ attendees who will. Boomer Sooner! and Go 'eers (that's short for...get a program;^)
U of OREGON said:
posted on September 19, 2006 4:28 AM — 71.193.219.201 — link — abuse?
I really cant believe the Oklahoma pres wants to strike the game off the record. GUESS WHAT SOONER FANS Oregon didnt do this. THe mistake was made by the officals and that is it. THe game was played well by both schools and now OREGON won over sooners oh well that is the way it went. There was bad decisions made by the officals but we could never know because Oregon still would of gotten that ball back and won the game. Some being poor sports and accept that the one thing about sports is that humans are involved, THUS MAKE MISTAKES dont go kill someone over it.
JAMES said:
posted on September 19, 2006 11:35 AM — 208.49.61.14 — link — abuse?
WHAT.........THE.......HECK???? DEATH THREATS??? ARE YOU SERIOUS??? THAT JUST MAKES ME THINK HOW STUPID PEOPLE CAN BE, I MEAN TO BE PASSIONATE ABOUT A SPORT IS ONE THING BUT TO BECOME OBESESSED TO THE POINT OF THREATENING SOMEONES LIFE!!!? WHAT A JOKE!! I'M A HUGE DUCK FAN AND UNDERSTAND HOW GREAT OF A PROGRAM OU HAS, BUT TO BECOME SO SPOILED OVER THE YEARS THAT ONE LOSS BECAUSE OF HOW IT ENDED, TO THREATEN TO TAKE SOMEONES LIFE, ITS JUST A SAD!!! IT'S A GAME FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! I'LL ADMIT THAT I'D BE PRETTY CHEESED AS WELL IF OUR TEAM GOT SCREWED, OH WAIT, IT HAS. BUT PLEASE, THOS IDIOTS WHO HAVE GOTTEN TO THAT POINT, YOU NEED TO GET YOUR HEADS CHECKED AND YOU PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!! FROM A QUOTE I READ IN THE PAPER THIS MORNING FROM AN OU FAN "I'M GOING TO FLY TO PORTLAND FIND YOUR HOUSE AND KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY". I MEAN, YOU WOULD REALLY GIVE UP EVERYTHING YOU WORKED FOR TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN PRISON OVER A FOOTBALL GAME?!!! IDIOT!! ANYWAY, GOOD LUCK TO BOTH TEAMS!!
Gerald said:
posted on September 19, 2006 11:37 AM — 65.12.162.103 — link — abuse?
The Mayor:
"By season's end, this will be forgotten and you'll still be bitching about The SEC's treatment by the West Coast media mafia."
We will make a deal. I will stop complaining about the media's treatment of SEC teams if you and your PAC - 10 buddies stop using the "media bias against west coast teams" foolishness. Agreed? Of course, it is a self - serving deal, because I know that you and the rest of your PAC - 10 fans will revert to that excuse the very next time that something offends you about your teams (which will happen, oh, in the next 5 seconds or so), but sometimes you just have to take the best you can get.
The hilarious thing is that I didn't just ONLY talk about the SEC. I also talked about Cal and the Rose Bowl, and about your own team getting left out of the national title game. You did not acknowledge those, because you want to keep the whole "injustices only happen to the poor PAC - 10" thing going on.
And yes, I honestly do think that Oregon will go 11 - 1. Outside of Southern Cal, tell me precisely who these great teams left on their schedule are that are going to beat them so I go have a good laugh.
The Mayor said:
posted on September 19, 2006 12:29 PM — 24.23.202.200 — link — abuse?
Gerald,
Agreed...can't speak for anyone else but me though. Sorry I focused on the SEC thing, my bad. We Ducks have been taking a lot of grief the last two days by conspiracy theorists so I was a little punch drink. My favorite theories are the Las Vegas Gambling Mafia rigged the game and Phil Knight paid the officials. People are nuts.
I have said many times the SEC is the toughest conference in college football. Someday I hope to experience an SEC game in the South (2010 at Neyland?)
Sure USC gets all the bias, not the rest of us out here though. They're a private school, with a storied tradition in the heart of the media capital of the world. We have learned to deal with it. Until my Ducks can knock them off, I have to grin and bear it.
I learned my lesson last year and will never complain about being left out of the BCS picture (talk about a Pac-10 jinx) again. The 2002 Fiesta Bowl was a hoot for us, we would have matched up better against Miami in The Rose Bowl than Nebraska did but we would have also come away with the loss.
Also, OSU owns us at Corvallis the last 10 years, no matter what the records are for either team. Cal and ASU are away games for us and are no pushovers.
If you watched our game, we are exciting but not a good enough defensive team to go 11-1. Look for 9-3 by year's end.
Guaranteed by Week Six we're at each other's throats again...
no more vince young said:
posted on September 19, 2006 2:13 PM — 146.6.82.241 — link — abuse?
to Gator Fan
academics? are you serious? since when has florida been known for anything but hilarious steve spurrier? are YOU implying FL has better academics than OU?? thats the funniest comment i've read on this entire blog. thanks for making me smile. now, enjoy your high crime and your post-spurrier success.
to the tx fan...oh god i'm gonna be so so happy and satisfied when you lose to OU again. this one will mean a lot, seeing as how you're defending national champs. you have no more vince young, but thankfully you still have Davis and Mack on the sideline. That is enough to guarantee our victory. I can't wait to see mack brown biting his nails, praying for the ghost of vince to return and bail him out of yet another game. texas football fans are by far the worst anywhere in the country. the unfounded arrogance is astonishing, and it's bred into them at a creepily young age. it's very disturbing, it's like religious brainwashing. oh no, vince won't bail you out this time. OU inbred?? Have you SEEN Colt Mcoy lately?? I mean come on?? I thought Jason White was pretty bad, but Colt Mccoy? And that's his real name, too? this has to be a joke. He honestly looks like he's mildly retarded. Seriously.
Now having said that, if you do win, it's because you slipped a PAC 10 official in there somewhere. go soonersBart said:
posted on September 19, 2006 2:14 PM — 71.229.221.152 — link — abuse?
Big XII Commissioner Weiberg responds, "there is no provision under NCAA or conference rules for a game result to be reversed or changed as a result of officiating errors..."---as there WERE NO OFFICIATING ERRORS--just outright cheating, I'd say there is definite room for nullifying or changing the outcome of the game. ESPECIALLY, since the REPLAY/REVIEW was utilized. OU fans aren't Whining---just want to be assured that their players are allowed to play a game that is decided on the field--not be officials. IF I WAS THE BIG XII COMMISSIONER, or for that matter a coach of a Big XII school--I would NEVER PLAY A GAME IN THE PAC 10 AS LONG AS THEY HAVE RULES THAT PREVENT OTHER REFS (OTHER THAN PAC 10 MEMBERS) FROM PRESIDING OVER A GAME.
The OU/Oregon game should not be allowed to stand. For OU's chances at another BCS Championship to be ruined by an officiating crew is OUTRAGEOUS!!!
Mike said:
posted on September 19, 2006 2:22 PM — 209.248.242.250 — link — abuse?
The question at the heart of this issue, is not whether or not the Oregon fans are kind courteous and gracious host, I am sure they are. Just like many other collage sports fans all over the country. This is an issue concerning instant replay. The Pac 10 commissioner has said that the calls were incorrect and believes this strongly enough to have suspended the officiating crew. The idea that only Pac ten officials can work on Pac 10 fields is ridiculous, but gives new meaning to home field advantage. There must be consistency and accountability with the replay system. The Big 12 requires two replay officials at each game.
If any Oregon fans are still in denial as to what actually happened check this out.
Mike said:
posted on September 19, 2006 2:49 PM — 209.248.242.250 — link — abuse?
The question at the heart of this issue, is not whether or not the Oregon fans are kind courteous and gracious host, I am sure they are. Just like many other collage sports fans all over the country. This is an issue concerning instant replay. The Pac 10 commissioner has said that the calls were incorrect and believes this strongly enough to have suspended the officiating crew. The idea that only Pac 10 officials can work on Pac 10 fields is ridiculous, but gives new meaning to home field advantage. There must be consistency and accountability with the replay system through out college football.
If any Oregon fans are still in denial as to what actually happened check this out.
http://www.newsok.com/sports/main/When it is all said and done no matter what President Boren’s letter requested the results of the game will stand, and should just as other poorly officiated games have in the past. Hopefully this will push the NCAA (they have their hands in everything else concerning college athletics) to work on something beneficial.
Eric Winkler said:
posted on September 19, 2006 4:20 PM — 64.157.39.49 — link — abuse?
Final Thoughts On the Duck/Sooner Game: Did the Refs Give that Game to Oregon?
In the aftermath of the Duck/Sooner game everybody is naturally talking about the onsides kick and the pass interference call because it occurred at the end of the game. My question is did those calls really give the Ducks the game?
What was it that Oregon gained from those calls? Were there any direct points awarded as a result? Personally, I think the interference call (if the ball was tipped) is moot because it's not like the Sooners could have stopped the Ducks without it. The Duck TD would have been good from 40 yards further out if not just the 13 yards awarded on the penalty.
No, the real issue for Sooner fans is the Onsides Kick. That's the crux of it. But what exactly did Oregon gain from that? They got a first down at their own 47. That's not. No points were awarded as a direct result of the play. The Ducks still had to earn those.
But now let's look at the rest of the game:
In the first quarter there was a bogus pass interference call that gave the Sooners a first and goal at the Duck 2. Second, there was a non call on a Sooner push off that led directly to an OK score. Third, they allowed a Sooner play on a third and ten that picked up 26 yards to the Oregon 47 AFTER the play clock had run out. The Sooners later scored a TD on that drive. The video on these plays is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GATO8sOREEY&mode=related&search=
This last call is particularly relevant because it's just so obvious. Far more obvious than whether the onside kick had gone ten yards. But in any even what was the result in each of those cases. As far as the Onsides Kick, Oregon got the ball on their own 47. As far as the illegal play that was ran, the Sooners got the ball on the Duck 47.
The Refs didn't give the Ducks the game. They simply gave them a fighting chance in a game they'd already given to Oklahoma. From there, the Ducks earned it.
Tampa Hurricane said:
posted on September 19, 2006 4:26 PM — 24.96.199.254 — link — abuse?
OU fans need to quit crying. There are terrible calls in all college football games. Does that mean that no close game should officially count because officials blew a couple of calls? OU needs to blame themselves for not being able to put away the Ducks. It would never have come down to an onside kick if OU had played a better game.
Gerald said:
posted on September 19, 2006 4:35 PM — 65.12.162.103 — link — abuse?
So Cal USMC:
You mean like that bogus pass interference call that was whistled against Virginia Tech in 2004, which negated a play that would have set Virginia Tech to be up by 2 TDs? Now, the PAC - 10 DB, who was badly beaten on the play, CLEARLY PUSHED AND MUGGED the Virginia Tech WR, and the Virginia Tech WR wound up being the one having the flag thrown on him. Funny how the Southern Cal offense, which had been bottled up all game, came alive after that call, and how Virginia Tech went into a shell. Even the LA Times admitted that it was a bogus - and momentum turning - call.
Anyway, yes, yes, yes, the point has been made many a time on the bad calls that went against Oregon. That does not mean that Oregon fans should be above acknowledging that for OU to lose in such a fashion (and in a road game where the decks are already stacked against you at that) to be mighty unfair. Again, I am not one of those who calls Oregon's win illegitimate in any way ... the fact is that these things happen. The main reason why I want Oregon fans to admit that it stinks to Oklahoma is that Oregon fans know that they would be screaming bloody murder if the same thing happened to them.
Yogi da Bear said:
posted on September 19, 2006 5:04 PM — 64.157.39.49 — link — abuse?
Gerald,
Duck fans would probably be more sympathetic if they weren't constantly getting snubbed by the BSCS. Like four years ago, when Nebraska got the nod for the Championship Game, despite Oregon being universally ranked number two and Nebraska not even winning the conference and getting blasted by CD. Like last year, not even getting a BSCS Bowl Game after finishing the year with only one loss, to then number one USC. Oregon fans have just seen their Ducks dumped on too many times to be too sympathetic to other teams.
Jason said:
posted on September 19, 2006 5:07 PM — 24.20.117.178 — link — abuse?
Look, I've been reading people say, there is conclusive proof that the ducks touched the ball, there is conclusive proof that the sooners touched the ball, there is conclusive proof that they didn't make it over the 10 yard line there is conclusive proof that they did. The key to overturning a ruling on the field is that there must be undeniable evidence! If there was would anyone still be having this debate two days after the game. Those replay officials are professionals. They make a living out of calling a game. You don't blame a pilot when his plane crashes saying he tried to crash the plane. No he's a professional, he does what he does and shit happens. Obviously people after 2 days can't decide what's going on, that man in the both with 3 minutes came up with the conclusion that you are still proving! There is no conclusive evidence that the oregon ducks touched the ball first. I know what you are going to say sooners fans, and i've got pictures and have analyzed angles and ball spin before the contact is made. It can be argued either way, and argued well!
The call on the field about who recovered the ball was a pretty tough call. Looked like Chung had control of the ball from one angle when he went on the ground. Officials blew the ball dead. That's it! When the officials blew the whistle Chung had the ball...everything after the whistle is a moot point. The replay official cannot make a call on anything after the whistle.
Did Chung have control of the ball? I doubt it, sure looks like it came out, but then again maybe he had control and the ground caused it to leave his hands. I find it hard to believe that the ball squirted out and underneath a 250lb football player laying on his belly without any kind of manipulation. Could it have happened, yes.
Let's get the facts straight here
Dan Fouts is not a replay official, nor does he control what camera angles he sees in his booth.
The replay officials are professionals who take pride in their job just like other officials in the game. Calling them a cheat or claiming they were paid off is the oldest and cheapest excuse used by football fans. Sure they make bad calls, but they made them not you. They dedicate thier lives to being better officials during football season, while you dedicate your saturdays and sundays to sitting on the couch watching the game that they help present to you.
You are not a replay official! I don't care how long you've been watching football on t.v. and I don't care if your 2 year old son or 80 year old grandmother thinks she isn't, you aren't and they aren't.
The call was made. Did it change the game? Not as much as a cornerback blowing his coverage and letting a defender get in the endzone.
Every play in football is important. Yes every single one. And every single player in those plays is important. If they weren't, they wouldn't bother to recruit players and line 11 of them up every play. You can argue that any single play or any single call or non call in that play could have changed the game, and it probly would have, but the argument would be very flawed for one reason, it wouldn't be based in reality. What if Stewarts knee was ruled down, what if offensive pass interference was called, what if the sooners had been awarded the ball on the onside kick. These are not arguments based in reality because as we all know, what really happened was quite different. These are arguments based on speculation and faith, with no fact to support them. It's like asking the question, when a tree falls in the woods and there is nobody to hear it does it make a sound?
I don't think i've ever seen a football game, and I've seen one or two, in which the officials didn't make bad calls. In some cases they make calls that really really suck, and in some cases they make calls that seem to blow the whole game. That's football. You take the good with the bad. As much as any football fan who believes they've been hosed by an official wants to admit, those men in white and black are trying very hard to do the best job they can. They aren't doing it because it pays great, cause it doesn't. They aren't doing it because they are bored and don't have anything better to do. They are doing it because they love the game of football. THEY LOVE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL. They love the game of football so much that they want to make sure that the game is called as fair as possible. Why? Because to call it any other way would be to destroy the very game that they quite obviously love to do.
I am appalled that the president of OU wrote demanding an apology from the NCAA, the suspension/firing of those very officials who are trying very hard to make the game that entertains him and you possible, and demanding that the game be stricken from the record books. I cannot imagine a greater example of poor sportsmanship. I can understand being upset about a game. But demanding the results of the game be stricken from record books because you don't like the results is childish and arrogant. Fortunately the rest of anyone who is interested in this topic realizes that this is the action of one man, and it isn't a reflection of the good sportsmanship shown by both the Sooners football program (they really are stand up individuals) or their fans.
I enjoy reading most of your comments about the game. I really value this opportunity to discuss football with such dedicated and such highly passionate fans. I think that everyone here would have a great time sitting in a room watching football with each other. I really hope that both Oregon and Oklahoma will have a chance for a rematch. Games like this help spark wonderful rivalries that make football so much fun. There is nothing like a touch of drama being added to your favorite sporting event.
Thank you all. It's been great reading what you all have to say. Keep it up! Be passionate! Say F$&* the Ducks! Say all refs should be shot. It's ok, we're all football fans here, we understand the passion, we understand what's motivating you to write what you write. We've all felt like that.
Please do not marr the sacrifices of those nobel men who went out on to the field saturday afternoon and played their guts out. They were warriors out there. Men who solve their problems on a field of battle, not on internet forums bickering over what could have been or should have been. Those men out there fought their hearts out, and know that when the game is over the game is over! If victory has eluded them, they will prepare for their next battle. OU President, how dare you think that your team will accept to have the record stricen from the books. Those men played with every ounce of effort they have. AD ran so hard that he collapsed after one play from exhaustion, and you sir would dare to take the record of his sacrafice away from him?
OK is a joke, kay. said:
posted on September 19, 2006 6:19 PM — 209.112.221.50 — link — abuse?
The simple fact is the Oklahoma's whole game-plan can be attributed to one player, who was shut down for an entire half.
If Oklahoma could play defense for an entire game, or if they had a real QB (or one that doesn't only pretend to sell cars) we wouldn't even be talking about this.
But they don't. Their defense gave up, and let the Ducks score 2 TDs in essentially two plays. Even if they did get the ball back after the onside, they probably would have been stopped in their tracks, just like they were during their pathetic early TD attempt. Oregon would have got the ball back after using their TOs and scored with ease just like they did before and after the alleged mistaken call. Which would have left even less time for their sorry FG attempt.
The only reason they gave the officials any suspension at all is to pay lip service to the Big-12 so inter-conference play can continue in a reasonable fashion. The fact that the official was suppended doesn't prove he did anything wrong. It's just like when a cop shoots a criminal, they suspend the officer whether or not he had the right to do it.
I won't be surprised if they abandon inter-conference play altogether just so they can declare themselves national champions without actually having to play anyone from a real conference(I exempt the Longhorns and OSU from this statement they're for real).
And as for the admission by the replay official that he blew the call, what would you do if you (and your family) were getting death threats from classless homicidal Okies? I would probably admit to something that is untrue in order to protect my family.
The conduct of Oklahoma's preident is inexcusable. It is not becoming of a leader of an institution of higher learning. Maybe he should spend more time overseeing things like, oh let's say, the level of education at his university. Or maybe that useless brickabrack doesn't really matter as much as college football in Oklahoma.
One point to ponder is, why do so many Oklahoma fans even care about the university squad when most of them didn't even finish high school?
So Cal USMC said:
posted on September 19, 2006 6:50 PM — 204.62.68.23 — link — abuse?
Gerald, Bad Calls Happen. THATS the Point. Had that on-side kick call recovery been Overturned (rightfully) and Oregon went on to Lose, then the Oklahoma Offensive Pass-Interference Non-Call woulda been the play that Refs "screwed Oregon" on.
Dan from Kentucky said:
posted on September 20, 2006 1:11 AM — 70.116.65.134 — link — abuse?
You know, all this is going to take is for one Duck fan to admit, "Yeah, we probably should've lost that game", and this debate would be over...that's all Sooner fans want to hear. And that's all you'd want to hear if the same situation was against Oregon. Wouldn't Duck fans love to hear an apology from the BCS saying, "Yup...we screwed you out of a Championship game there a few years ago". It would fix a lot!!
Both sides could keep picking apart those calls that require a lot of subjectivity, but a CLEARLY blown possession call at the end of a game is EXACTLY why instant replay was brought into college football. This one was flat out blown. Even the replay official admitted it: "I'm struggling with it," Riese said in an interview at his home. "I feel so bad I missed that call, it's driving me crazy."
Both sides played a hard fought ball game, and it doesn't matter who was winning the stats game...it boils down to Oklahoma put themselves in a place to win the game, and a bad call gave Oregon an opportunity it shouldn't have had. Oklahoma would've knelt the ball 3 times, and it would've been over (clock starts now after a possession change and Oregon had only 2 TO's).
Duck fans: Stop trying to justify this victory through some ridiculous logic. I don't think a single Sooner fan would say Oregon didn't play a hard fought game or may even admit that Oregon won the game statistically, but in the end Oklahoma should've won. And they're pissed...as you would be if a game was stolen. Now take your victory and move on and let the Sooners rightfully vent.
Man...I can't believe I'm defending Sooner fans but this is ridiculous.
Oregonalways said:
posted on September 20, 2006 3:00 AM — 70.56.19.184 — link — abuse?
Yes, I was one of the Oregon fans watching ABC and after OK went up 10 decided I would work in the yard. I glanced through the window just in time to notice OR had scored. The onside kick happened and from all accounts looked like a bad call. But it was OR that put the final points on the board and OR that blocked the field goal.
I had been bothered by several of the poor calls already mentioned in previous post here, but of course there has been little discussion of those calls in the media, and obviously none in OK.
I suggest a review be done by someone checking out old OK games where OK benefited from "bad calls", done by big 12 refs. For the OKie's to suggest the PAC-10 refs are on the payroll shows how foolish they are. Yes, Oregon has learned to love college football, but it pales in comparison with the misguided fans of OK. We at least have grasp on reality and don't go chasing conspiracy theories around every corner.
However, the most offensive thing the OU organization could have done was to have their school president send the "letter" to big 12 commissioner, demanding the game be voided. At what stretch of the imagination would he believe he would be taken seriously?? Maybe a grade school principal would do such a thing, but not a product of higher education.
By the way OKie fans, the PAC-10 doesn't need your sympathy. We can stand the heat anytime, anywhere. You cannot live on past laurels. OR embarrassed Texas when we played them in the Holiday Bowl and played you tough last year with back up quarterbacks. So go ahead, either cry about poor officiating, or just prove you have a better team by beating everyone by 20 points. Game over.
ducsk fan said:
posted on September 20, 2006 2:36 PM — 67.171.227.211 — link — abuse?
On behalf of DucksNation, i apologize to OU for the game they lost to the ref.
OK OU fans R U happy now...now just go "DUCK" off and focus on ur sorryass joke-lahoma team that couldnt finish the job on 1st-N-goal 3 times with helps of 4 TOs and, yes, with the help of the officias through out three quarters of the game
after that, if u still have some feeling with refs and the game, i suggest that it would help u if just "DUCK" yourself
LSU Fan said:
posted on September 20, 2006 6:14 PM — 12.22.36.188 — link — abuse?
There are bad calls all the time in this game.. get over it. Calling the refs cheaters for not calling the game your way is like saying you were cheated because your manhood is small. And after all, isn't that what this game is.. a "manhood" comparison contest?
It's just sad.Quit Whining said:
posted on September 21, 2006 12:06 AM — 24.54.240.179 — link — abuse?
Come on OU. Take the loss graciously and take out your feelings on that powerhouse, Middle Tennessee State. How many times has an OU received huge breaks? Now, one goes against you and y'all show no class. Get over it. Quit your whining.
DieHard Duck said:
posted on September 21, 2006 12:15 AM — 64.198.82.252 — link — abuse?
Get over it OU fans. It was a game that is in the record books, like it or not. Try real hard not to cry about it now. It's over. UO got some bad calls throughout the day and so did OU. Now the real point is Big 12 went 0-4 against PAC 10 teams last weekend. Wow, whaaaat Happppened? Stoops needs to keep is butt off of the field. He should have been flagged so many times for coming on to the field sniveling like a baby. Get over it OU!!!!!!!!!
OU Fan said:
posted on September 21, 2006 9:37 AM — 72.161.218.78 — link — abuse?
Quit Whining #190, I do not believe OU has recieved all of these breaks like you say. Last season, I believe they went 8-4 with the toughest schedule in the nation. And that 8-4 Oklahoma team beat the supposably BCS bowl bound Oregon Ducks. I think having Washington and Oregon as out of conference opponents is more respected than say Auburn playing McNeese State, Tulane, and Buffalo. So give OU a break. Also, OU has a future series with Miami, and a possible series with FSU, LSU, Tennessee, and Ohio State. Give OU a break. Why is everyone still arguing about this OU Oregon game anyways? I'm not because I am over it. Its seems that Oregon fans keep posting more articles up than OU fans. I could be wrong though because I don't feel like counting and comparing them all. And no, I do not think David Boren should have sent a letter to the Big 12 wanting the loss wiped off the record, but he is entitled to his opinion right? But I do not care how much Stoops whines, because I have much respect for him. I also respect Stoops because he stood up for his players and doesn't give a d@mn what the media thinks. Right on Stoops! Also, I bet if that call got over turned and the football went to Oklahoma, Oregon fans might be pissed about the bad calls early in the game. I'm just saying that not all of us Oklahoma fans are making a big deal out of this. Sure I thought the calls were bull sh#t, but I'm over it and am ready for the season to move on. Both teams played great, Peterson showed the nation why he is a Heisman candidate, and Oregon is lucky to have a QB like Dixon. I hope the Sooner defense gets drilled in practice, and I hope #79 Chris Messner doesn't start for OU anymore. Go Tulsa! Go Sooners! Beat Texas! Peterson for Heisman! Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tampa Hurricane said:
posted on September 21, 2006 12:27 PM — 24.96.199.254 — link — abuse?
Oklahoma fans, can you explain what the difference between this Oregon/Oklahoma game and the Texas Tech/Oklahoma basketball game?
from espn "Knight called for Oklahoma to forfeit its basketball game with Tech on Jan. 20, 2003, when the Sooners won 69-64 in overtime at Norman after two clock controversies in the final seconds of regulation. Video replay later showed the game clock started late after OU in-bounded the ball on the game-tying drive."
Is there a reason that you are not willing to forfeit a game that you won due to a blown call by officials, but you want Oregon to forfeit a game that you lost due to a blown call by officials?!?
Per Bob Knight "Now I guess the 'duck' is swimming in the other pond." Looks like karma smacked Oklahoma on this one. You were given a basketball win and a football loss.
Hopefully your program will have quit crying by the time that the Hurricanes get to face you next year, it should be a great game.
Trindam said:
posted on September 21, 2006 1:15 PM — 198.6.46.11 — link — abuse?
Yes there is a good about of side taking here by fans of both sides.
All I have to say is that if you take away the onside kick, which takes away a touchdown from Oregon, lets also take away the touchdown from OU due to the push off from their receiver.
Those are both calls that effected the end of the game in a big way. Those are the two biggest that went against one team or the other.
What do we have? Oregon still wins by one. So Suck It UP OU!!!
The problem with pointing out that all the sports writers are saying OU was robbed is that they are focusing on the onside kick like all OU fans. They are not looking at the game as a whole.
What about the fumble that Oregon coughed up. Replay shown on TV showed the player was down but it was not reviewed. That means no fumble, which means since OU scored on the drive they had after that "fumble recovery" does not count. Take that away as well as the push off by the OU receiver in the end zone and the onside kick.
Do that and Oregon definately won by more than a single point.
Overall yes, Officiating did contribute to the outcome of the game. Oregon should have won by more than only 1 point. And the record books should have only shown 3 Turn Overs.
Dan said:
posted on September 21, 2006 5:25 PM — 70.143.32.248 — link — abuse?
As I read all these posts, I am seeing some extremely vile things be said about the people of Oklahoma. The pro-OU posts are complaining about the poor officiating--nothing else. I don't see even one post where an Oklahoma person feels it necessary to attack or insult the people of Oregon. I find it especially distasteful that somebody criticized Oklahoma for having it's federal building bombed by a "hick". What does that have to do with football? That was a tragedy that killed 60 something innocent people done by a crazed lunatic who wasn't from Oklahoma. People write letters to criticize OU academics when they don't know anything about academics at OU. I think it's ridiculous that people who have never been to Oklahoma feel justified in calling the people rednecks or unsophisticated or backwards simply because some Pac-10 officials couldn't officiate their way out of a paper bag. The game was poorly officiated. Any number of bad calls could have changed the outcome of the game. The botched call at the end of the game was especially egregious because it had a direct "if-then" result; If not for the bad call, OU would have won the game. But honestly, can people just stick to arguing about the game without insulting people you have never met and never will meet who had nothing whatsoever to do with the game? We all argue passionately for our team in an extremely biased way. It's what football fans do. If the situation had been reversed, I can guarantee you that OU fans would be saying it was legitimate and Oregon fans would be screaming about how they were cheated. There's not a college team anywhere whose fans wouldn't be reacting similarly to the way OU and UO fans have to this game. So argue all you want about how there was no conclusive evidence or about how Oregon would have won anyways--but lay off the personal insults please
So Cal USMC said:
posted on September 21, 2006 6:45 PM — 204.62.68.23 — link — abuse?
Trivia,
The PAC has the Most men's National Titles in Basketball, Baseball, Track & Field, Tennis, Golf*, etc...Which is the only college Sport without a Playoff/Tournement system, where a subjective, eastern timezone-based, bias Media heavily influences the "decision" on which team is "named" the Champions? - Football.
So Cal USMC said:
posted on September 21, 2006 6:53 PM — 204.62.68.23 — link — abuse?
- There were Horrible calls.
- Those officials rightfully SHOULD be suspended.
- Oregon, the players, their fans, have NOTHING to 'apologize for'.
- Cant blame Stoops & OK for being upset, but dont get silly.
- Bad calls happen (on both sided, actually)
Cal_Fan2 said:
posted on September 21, 2006 7:21 PM — 67.188.217.148 — link — abuse?
So Cal USMC,
.......right you are.....Pac 10 has won led the nation in National Championships 39 out of the last 45 years....and came in 2nd 5 times.....the Big 10 running a very distant 2nd....but alas, you never hear about that for after football season....the bravado and chest thumping silently slip away....I know my Cal which is certainly no football powerhouse has won the Rugby Championship 12 out of the last 13 years...and there are many FB players that wouldn't want to take that sport on......
posted on September 21, 2006 10:17 PM — link — abuse?
One last thought from the great Bill & Ted: Be excellent to each other.
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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!