Oklahoma Sooners Get Screwed, Ducks Promise To Call But Then Throw Away Phone Number
It was not a disputed onside kick call. It was clear. The pompus nitwit announcer acted like he was the only one who saw the Ducks player touch the ball before 10 yards, but everybody saw it. Then for good measure there was another bad call a few minutes later, but as they say in Oklahoma, them's the breaks. Ducks win. I felt a little bad since it was such an obvious hometown injustice, but I'm getting over it in record time.
I hate to think of what the Oklahoma Sooners program did to deserve a karmic payback like this, but I'm happy the Ducks could oblige.
There was some good news: The team of officials in the review booth was immediately hired to referee soccer matches in South America. They're just that good.
posted by Bill McDonald @ 4:37 PM
15 comments
15 Comments:
It was a bad call, but you have to say that OU lost it on their own merit--they lined up for a field goal and a chance to win it with :02 left.
A bad call implies a mistake. There couldn't be a mistake on this. This was a hometown screw-job.
I don't blame the Ducks - in fact, I love it for the Ducks. They did execute and they did block the final field goal - as you pointed out.
It was payback in karma for the call on the so-called fumble of Jonathan Stewart. We were standing under the big screen, and from our angle/sight-line it looked clear the ball came out after he was down. That call led to an OU touchdown. Several of the pass-interference calls or non-calls were questionable, too. Overall, I thought the refereeing balanced.
They reviewed the onside kick and said on the field that the defense had touched it first. Instant replay is slowing the games down a lot this year, so it's sad that even after a call confirmed by review at the time, there's still debate about the referee's decisions. That ref has a great track-record, and there are dozens of calls over the course of four quarters that could be said to be pivotal. It's part of the game.
As is yelling as loudly as you can, and still not being able to hear yourself over the rest of the crowd noise. Awesome.
I think it's so cool you went to the game. And what a game it was! It'll be interesting to see how the papers cover that. I've seen some surprising decisions from the booth but that one was the most blatant case of disregarding reality that I can remember. It gave me an ugly feeling for a second but that's over now. Great win!
Wrong Karmic payback, Amanda:
The Stewart play was CLEARLY a fumble. No real if's and's or but's about that one. At first look it is hard to tell, but finally ABC showed us a different angle that clearly shows the ball coming loose BEFORE his knee hit the ground.
I think the Karmaic payback dates back to the Sooners offering America The Boz AND Barry Switzer....Have you seen Stone Cold?
That settles it. The reason the officials in the booth failed to make the obvious call on the onside kick, is that between plays they were watching a DVD of the Boz in "Stone Cold."
Their ruling was clear: Somebody had to pay for this, and who can argue with that call?
Yes, Ruben, my son in NJ told me yesterday the fumble really was a fumble. Another of the things I love about football, other than getting to yell a lot, is that my teenage sons get to tell me, "Mom, you're wrong!" and I can respond without a second thought, "Yep, you're right, I see it now, thanks for the information." Helps a lot with the rest of parenting, to be able to get a few of those in.
Bill, I liked your comment " It gave me an ugly feeling for a second but that's over now" very much. Bad calls in football are so much easier to get over than some of the other things you write about so insightfully.
Actually, the second replay at the end was an even worse call than the onside kick.
The original call was for pass interference. The replay clearly showed that the ball was tipped, making any receiver/defensive back contact legal. And it also pretty clearly showed that the pass interference flag shouldn't have been thrown to begin with.
I presume that HBO must have had something better on up in the replay booth.
Did anyone else find it odd that the stadium clock wound down from 46 to 26 seconds during the kickoff return? That would give the kick returner a 40-yard dash time which might barely beat Rosie O'Donnell.
Maybe, but if we had Rosie in our offensive line, we would have been up by 20.
Roger, new rule this year, the clock starts when the ball is kicked not when the receiver touches it. And it felt like about an hour, watching the return get closer and closer to our end zone.
Bummer, I read on CNN-SI the Pac-10 has ruled mistakes were made. Dang. I wonder if the Ducks had that karma stored up, or if it will come back to bite us later. Oh well, it was fun at the time, and fun talking about it since Saturday.
The NCAA is now talking about taking this game off the record books. Oregon would not get it as a win, nor OU as a loss. Also,
I had no idea that WE have OUR OWN OFFICIALS in that booth. I mean I want the ducks to win.. but like that?? You're telling me there is some douchebag official.. some mystery official behind closed doors making that call.. and he's a PAC-10 guy??? It's simply ridiculous. That official should be named to the public. How can he hide up there like a toolbag?? How can someone, making that call.. a call that is a game changing call, be able to hide up there. Those officials on the ground don't get that luxury. MAKE HIM KNOWN !!!! Make the douche bag known !!!!
This is when I look forward to a Dwight Jaynes column.
How can you people sit there and say "OH well, I got over it?". You are what's wrong with this country. I hate OU, but to say that the call did not matter in the outcome is unrealistic. How can you root for a team that won by cheating? If I was a Duck I'd be embarrassed. In OKlahoma they know what justice is. And Justice will be served. One way or another.
"Justice" for "cheating", huh? Perhaps that karma Bill mentioned is payback for the Sooners winning the Holiday Bowl with a QB now suspended for taking illegal financial kickbacks.
Unless you're alleging the officials were bribed by the UO program, there's no "cheating" involved in the blown call on Saturday.... any more than there was just two weeks ago when Oklahoma beat Alabama because the refs missed a fumble that would have allowed UAB to equalize.
Amanda,
And I thought my sisters were into football. This is great stuff.
One thing I got right: From the moment it happened I knew it would be a huge story. This was not your typical bad call(s).
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