Cali Sker (in Boston)

Stop. Please, just stop. "The refs stole the game!" Don't blame the refs. Please. They don't take or steal anything from anyone. Short of an official taking a bribe from a team or intentionally blowing calls in favor of one team, refs don't cost anyone anything. So please, just stop. Sorry, but I have to disagree with you! All of us can think of many BAD! calls by refs over the years that have hurt many teams that should have won a game in any sport. Since we are talking about Nebraska, here are a few. 1. How about Texas in 03 (When Pelini was Defensive coach) we wouldn't have won the game. But, there was a catch we clearly made that was ruled incomplete. 2. As shown earlier, the Pen. St. game were the sideline seemed to grow about three feet so the catch that was clearly out of bounds was ruled good? 3. Also the 94 Orange Bowl, (93 season) there were two bad calls. A. the supposed illegal clipping call that no one has been able to ever find that cost us a touchdown. B. The fumble at the One yard line by Florida St. that we recovered and the refs ruled a touchdown for them. So, yes refs are human but they can and do make some extremely bad calls that have hurt many teams in the past. Yes, they make bad calls. But please, stop with the "they stole this" or "we got robbed by the refs". And even a single horrible call is but one play out of more than 100 in a given game. Blaming the refs is petty and childish. Besides, I can think of a few plays to offset the examples you gave where the blown call was in our favor. When that happens, you don't often hear Nebraska fans saying, "Thank God the refs were on our side and stole that game for us." I will fully agree we have had some bad calls that have favored us. Also, I don't believe most ref's do it on purpose so as to cost any one team a game. My only point is that they have cost teams a game in the past do to some very rediculous calls. Thankfully, now we have instant replay to overcome mistakes. By the way, isn't that why we have instant replay, because the NFL or the NCAA or who ever has realized that human error has cost teams games that should have won? You mean like the human error of a guy dropping a pass? The '94 Orange Bowl was lost when a 40-some yard field goal was missed. Nebraska also let FSU drive down the field in the last 2 minutes. The Penn St. game that started this thread was lost when Penn St. scored AFTER the play in the video. How many 3rd downs in that game did Nebraska miss? How many times could they have won without giving the refs a chance to miss a call? Again let me make this perfectly clear: referees do NOT "cost teams games"! I DO NOT DISAGREE WITH YOU! At least on your point that ref's don't do it on purpose. Seems like you are so hell bent on proving your point that you don't actually read my posts. But, all I am saying is that bad calls have costs us and other teams games many times. To deny that is pretty blind, again I don't think it is done on PURPOSE! My initial response to your first post wasn't necessarily directed specifically at you, but at people in general who think refs "stole the game from us". You then responded that ref's "cost us the game", which you reiterated multiple times, and I replied that no, the play of the team cost them the game. You then called me blind for thinking otherwise. I have read every word of your posts. What have I said that makes you think I missed something? My point was that UNLESS done on purpose, refs don't cost teams games. You have stated otherwise. So I think we do disagree.

Stop. Please, just stop. "The refs stole the game!" Don't blame the refs. Please. They don't take or steal anything from anyone. Short of an official taking a bribe from a team or intentionally blowing calls in favor of one team, refs don't cost anyone anything. So please, just stop. Sorry, but I have to disagree with you! All of us can think of many BAD! calls by refs over the years that have hurt many teams that should have won a game in any sport. Since we are talking about Nebraska, here are a few. 1. How about Texas in 03 (When Pelini was Defensive coach) we wouldn't have won the game. But, there was a catch we clearly made that was ruled incomplete. 2. As shown earlier, the Pen. St. game were the sideline seemed to grow about three feet so the catch that was clearly out of bounds was ruled good? 3. Also the 94 Orange Bowl, (93 season) there were two bad calls. A. the supposed illegal clipping call that no one has been able to ever find that cost us a touchdown. B. The fumble at the One yard line by Florida St. that we recovered and the refs ruled a touchdown for them. So, yes refs are human but they can and do make some extremely bad calls that have hurt many teams in the past. Yes, they make bad calls. But please, stop with the "they stole this" or "we got robbed by the refs". And even a single horrible call is but one play out of more than 100 in a given game. Blaming the refs is petty and childish. Besides, I can think of a few plays to offset the examples you gave where the blown call was in our favor. When that happens, you don't often hear Nebraska fans saying, "Thank God the refs were on our side and stole that game for us." I will fully agree we have had some bad calls that have favored us. Also, I don't believe most ref's do it on purpose so as to cost any one team a game. My only point is that they have cost teams a game in the past do to some very rediculous calls. Thankfully, now we have instant replay to overcome mistakes. By the way, isn't that why we have instant replay, because the NFL or the NCAA or who ever has realized that human error has cost teams games that should have won? You mean like the human error of a guy dropping a pass? The '94 Orange Bowl was lost when a 40-some yard field goal was missed. Nebraska also let FSU drive down the field in the last 2 minutes. The Penn St. game that started this thread was lost when Penn St. scored AFTER the play in the video. How many 3rd downs in that game did Nebraska miss? How many times could they have won without giving the refs a chance to miss a call? Again let me make this perfectly clear: referees do NOT "cost teams games"!

Did we have some dude named Peterson playing D-back against FSU or Penn St. in the '80s?

Stop. Please, just stop. "The refs stole the game!" Don't blame the refs. Please. They don't take or steal anything from anyone. Short of an official taking a bribe from a team or intentionally blowing calls in favor of one team, refs don't cost anyone anything. So please, just stop. Sorry, but I have to disagree with you! All of us can think of many BAD! calls by refs over the years that have hurt many teams that should have won a game in any sport. Since we are talking about Nebraska, here are a few. 1. How about Texas in 03 (When Pelini was Defensive coach) we wouldn't have won the game. But, there was a catch we clearly made that was ruled incomplete. 2. As shown earlier, the Pen. St. game were the sideline seemed to grow about three feet so the catch that was clearly out of bounds was ruled good? 3. Also the 94 Orange Bowl, (93 season) there were two bad calls. A. the supposed illegal clipping call that no one has been able to ever find that cost us a touchdown. B. The fumble at the One yard line by Florida St. that we recovered and the refs ruled a touchdown for them. So, yes refs are human but they can and do make some extremely bad calls that have hurt many teams in the past. Yes, they make bad calls. But please, stop with the "they stole this" or "we got robbed by the refs". And even a single horrible call is but one play out of more than 100 in a given game. Blaming the refs is petty and childish. Besides, I can think of a few plays to offset the examples you gave where the blown call was in our favor. When that happens, you don't often hear Nebraska fans saying, "Thank God the refs were on our side and stole that game for us."

I can't find too much to disagree with. Except...there's no way we don't absolutely dominate in special teams. Henery and Kunalic are easily the best kick/punt combo in the country.

Stop. Please, just stop. "The refs stole the game!" Don't blame the refs. Please. They don't take or steal anything from anyone. Short of an official taking a bribe from a team or intentionally blowing calls in favor of one team, refs don't cost anyone anything. So please, just stop.

Loaves and fish. Enough for all of Florida.

Hands down, absolutely no contest: Captain Morgan and apple cider. It even has a distinct autumn feel to it. And up here in the northeast, the apple cider is fantabulous. After living here almost 2 years, I will also say that the beer in the midwest kicks the crap out of anything they brew up here. You like Sam Adams? You can keep it. Give me my Bud, Boulevard, and some Leine's. I'll even take some PBR.

I've been wondering for a while now what all would have to happen in order to get a rematch with Vagina Tech. Basically the only way I see us in a BCS bowl is to have (insert Big XII North team here) win out and us win out except lose to (same Big XII North team). BCS bowls do not like to take conference championship game losers for at-large berths (see KU/MU 2007), and I don't think we're quite there yet as far as winning the conference. I hope I'm wrong on that last part, though... As far as getting a rematch with Vagina Tech, since we're anchored to a different bowl than the ACC, I can only see #2 getting that to happen (I don't see Vagina Tech getting an at-large berth if they don't win their conference). Damn. I want another shot at those guys...

Who's Ricky's backup? PJ Smith. I'm not too worried. We know he can tackle. Just ask Fisher Seriously though, I thought the secondary, especially safety, was where we were thinnest on defense. I'm sure glad to hear Asante should be OK. And I feel REALLY bad for Thenarse. I hope the ACL rumors aren't true. He seems like a good kid.

I wouldn't go that far. I wouldn't disrespect Solich for his playing career or years as an assistant, but being completely honest he was less than average as a head coach. The success he did have was with Osbornes recruits and there was a considerable drop off of talent and success after that. Unfortunately for him he falls under a long list of head coaches that failed to succeed in replacing a legend. I have to disagree here. Dude went to the title game in his 4th year. So you can't really use the "he was playing with Osborne's recruits" argument. Yes, he lost, but there are a lot of "above average" coaches who don't even get there. While the guy was no Osborne and wasn't capable of sustaining the unsustainable (who can sustain when Nebraska had going in the '90s?) to say he was less than average is doing him a disservice.

Oklahoma 01 Michigan 05 Just off the top of my head may be more however point taken I stand corrected I guess. I thought we hadn't beaten a team since #2 Washington. You're probably thinking of the "haven't won on the road against a top 20 team" (not top 25) that we heard about leading up to the Vagina Tech game. And I believe you're also thinking of 1997. And it looks like that streak won't end this season, as Nebraska probably won't play another top 20 team on the road this year. Mizzou isn't ranked in one poll and doesn't figure to move up enough on a bye week, and I don't think KU will still be in the top 20 when Nebraska plays them (I'm thinking losses to OU and TTech). But enough nit-picking. Nebraska will beat Missouri. It won't even be close. I know Mizzou will be fired up, but 2 things I can't get out of my head: 1. They almost lost to Bowling Green. In Columbia. 2. They almost lost to Nevada. A team Notre Dame shut out earlier this year. And as far as being snake-bitten, tell that to Colorado and the poor kid standing behind Hawkins in that great clip from last year's game...

Finally. Someone took the bait. Maybe it wasn't a bad call. But it was a "worse" call than the incomplete. Looked to me like the D lineman pushed our guy over and fell on top of him. Or maybe I was just drunk.

BC's teams had discipline? Were we on the same board back then or wasn't that one of the biggest complaints about the players back then? Did you actually read my post before you responded?????????? If not read it again, especially this part "this team lacks the same discipline that BC's team did." I did read it again. And again. And THEN I got it. Sounds like you were saying that this team lacks discipline, but BC's teams had discipline... And to address other posts, from what I've heard Bo says in his other interviews, he certainly does take responsibility and puts blame on himself all the time. Didn't he say as much after many games last year? My recollection is that he took all the blame himself after the OU game.

Again, you need to keep control of the ball when you hit the ground for it to be a catch. Whether the knee was in bounds and the foot out or vice versa. I believe it's rule 2 section 2 article 7 point 2: "Loss of ball simultaneous to returning to the ground is not a catch, interception or recovery." If you guys want to b!tch about a blown call, how about the hold on the previous play when McNeill caught his TD...? I am not arguing that. I believe he had control when his knee hit and that he didn't lose control until out of bounds which was after he already had made the catch and was down. I do not believe it was simultaniously. You're misreading the "simultaneous" part. The knee was down before the ball was out, so that is not simultaneous. BUT the ball came out simultaneous to the body returning to the ground. Therefore no catch. And seriously, NO ONE is going to say anything about the holding call?

In addition to the rule books there are often interpretations and case plays to sort out these sorts of things. I believe that if you looked in there you'd seem something about a player whose knee/foot hits the ground and then the rest of his body hits, causing the ball to come out. That play was correctly called. No one gonna comment on the holding call?

then all the plays that I've seen that end up with guys being tackled on the sideline and then losing the ball shouldn't be considered completions? or maybe we should change the rule that when the ground causes a fumble it's actually an incompletion...and not a dead ball? The ground can't cause a fumble, but it CAN cause an incompletion. I hate it when I hear people reference "the ground can't cause a fumble" when we're talking about a catch... Pet peeve... Again, the hold call is what you all should be complaining about...

Remember it was Big 12 officials I'm just talking in general. Since it's Nebraska of course they don't get the right call. No matter what officials it is. Holy christ. "Because we're Nebraska we don't get the call"? Do you really think the official is sitting back there on that play thinking, "Hhmm... He looked like he caught it, but I'm not sure. $hit, what should I do? Oh, wait, there's an 'N' on his helmet. Incomplete."? That's total crap. The ball bounced out when he hit the ground. Incomplete. He has to keep control through that. You're looking at the wrong rule. Look up what constitutes a catch. Damn, I wish we didn't give up that long pass play. We wouldn't have to have these discussions... LOL whoa man I think you took that comment a little too serious. Sarcasm buddy. Like that'd be a REAL explanation for why it wasn't called a TD. Geez chill. My bad. I'm a sports official. I feel a duty to defend these guys...

Again, you need to keep control of the ball when you hit the ground for it to be a catch. Whether the knee was in bounds and the foot out or vice versa. I believe it's rule 2 section 2 article 7 point 2: "Loss of ball simultaneous to returning to the ground is not a catch, interception or recovery." If you guys want to b!tch about a blown call, how about the hold on the previous play when McNeill caught his TD...?

Remember it was Big 12 officials I'm just talking in general. Since it's Nebraska of course they don't get the right call. No matter what officials it is. Holy christ. "Because we're Nebraska we don't get the call"? Do you really think the official is sitting back there on that play thinking, "Hhmm... He looked like he caught it, but I'm not sure. $hit, what should I do? Oh, wait, there's an 'N' on his helmet. Incomplete."? That's total crap. The ball bounced out when he hit the ground. Incomplete. He has to keep control through that. You're looking at the wrong rule. Look up what constitutes a catch. Damn, I wish we didn't give up that long pass play. We wouldn't have to have these discussions...

Forget the situation for a moment. Imagine Pete Carroll standing on the sideline. Imagine Urban Meyer standing on the sideline. I know I'm making an unprovable point (but I will not admit that the failed aftermath of the call is proof that it was the right call, either). You want to win football games? You want to prove something to everyone? Then attack. Get the damn yard. If you don't, keep the sixty behind you untrodden upon. But if you do, well, how great is thatl? I like football. Football is about aggression every bit as much as discipline and intelligence. Sometimes the right call is the risky call. If it fails, oh well. At least you lowered your pads and went for it. Worse that boring all of you, I'm now boring myself chattering about this. I have the slight advantage of not knowing whether my call would have worked whereas everyone knows the safe call ended up a disaster by giving the opposing offense a shot. Whatever might have been wasn't. But there's always the What If..... On to next week––––––> On 2nd & goal at the 2, I was screaming the same thing. With a 5 point lead against an offense that hadn't moved the ball ALL DAY, you punt and pin them deep. Especially on the road. You don't give them and the crowd any of the momentum that you built all 2nd half. I'd punt and pin them deep again tomorrow.

Yes, OSU has been hands down a better program than NU the last 10 years. But you could have said that about Nebraska and Oklahoma when Stoops was hired. Heck, when Solich was hired - the beginning of the 10 years you reference - Nebraska had beens hands down the better program over OSU for the prior 10 years. Texas was down when Mack Brown was hired. Notre Dame is down now. But these are still elite programs. I have no dellusions about where Nebraska is now - all I've read about this week is how they haven't won a road game against a ranked team since Scott Frost was QB. Scott Freaking Frost!! But Nebraska has some of the longest traditions, best facilities, and best administrators. While they may not be an elite TEAM right now, they are still an elite PROGRAM. There's nothing unreal about that. And I think you'll see them back among the elite teams very soon. Your point about the last hiring process is well taken, but I would mention that those problems had much more to do with the hatchet man AD than it did with the tradition and status of the program. We were coming off a 9 win regular season, with a bunch of future NFL players on the roster.

I gotta disagree here. I have nothing much to base this on other than what I read about Bo in the paper, but he seems to be here for the long haul. I also can't see Nebraska being used as a stepping stone, at least not the HC. It's one of THE premeir programs in the country and is still a destination job. If we're now being used as a stop on the road to other programs then what Callahan did was much MUCH worse than we all thought.

If you were to ask a Husker fan who didn't see the game (damn PPV) and got all his info about the incident by reading this thread, it sounds like Martin was running his mouth a bit too much and some ASU players took offense and taught him a lesson. As for the refs not seeing it, don't forget that their attention is usually focused on where the ball is. Where was it on this play? Side note: I'd like to see an officiating crew made up of everyone that bashes officials on this thread try to referree a pee-wee game. You'd look like complete idiots...

Just saw that. And at home!! I went with BYU to slop it up in the "letdown game". Should've picked Okie State... To slop it up I mean.