In loss, Penn State earns Nebraska's respect

[Hammerhead]

Whether or not the ball crossed the plane is not the issue here. It's obvious before the apparent "loss of control" that the ball had crossed that plane, regardless of camera angle. The question is whether or not possession is being lost and if it was being lost before the crossing of the plane. It's so close and tough to tell and really depends on who you are.

 

I'm betting that's exactly what established that they didn't have indisputable evidence to overturn the call.

 

Had the call on the field been a touchdown, they would have upheld that call on the same principle.

[HuskerNationNick]

 

Agree with you on the fumble call, but not the PI call. Bell's left arm may have been under Dennard's arm, but that was just incindental contact. Dennard is in perfect position and he has as much right to the ball as the receiver. But that call was no more or less wrong than several that at already taken place, it's just that coming at that critical juncture of the game it seemingly takes on more importance. But it was so poorly officitated that I would suspect the bad calls pretty much evened out.

 

But I don't think the goal line call was a bad call. He made a judgement one way. And whichever way he had ruled, it was going to be questioned. Just that close and that tough a call.

 

Dennard's arm was under Bell's, preventing him to catch the ball. Like I said earlier, they were calling PI's all day, barely allowing any kind of contact, so that is why I don't think it was a horrible call. Would I have called it? No, but I am not an official, and who knows if Dennard was warned before that, and it was the ref's last straw. Either way, that was two weeks ago, and I just don't think that call ruined the game for them. They had their chance, the lead and all to win, but they couldn't hold on. Their fault, not ours, not the refs.

 

Same goes for Penn State. They lost that game on their own. They had the lead, they should have been good enough to keep it. The better team won by double digits.

[Count 'Bility]

We are now still talking about the DPI in the Michigan St game!!??

[HuskerNationNick]

We are now still talking about the DPI in the Michigan St game!!??

 

Post #17

[Branno]

 

Agree with you on the fumble call, but not the PI call. Bell's left arm may have been under Dennard's arm, but that was just incindental contact. Dennard is in perfect position and he has as much right to the ball as the receiver. But that call was no more or less wrong than several that at already taken place, it's just that coming at that critical juncture of the game it seemingly takes on more importance. But it was so poorly officitated that I would suspect the bad calls pretty much evened out.

 

But I don't think the goal line call was a bad call. He made a judgement one way. And whichever way he had ruled, it was going to be questioned. Just that close and that tough a call.

 

Dennard's arm was under Bell's, preventing him to catch the ball. Like I said earlier, they were calling PI's all day, barely allowing any kind of contact, so that is why I don't think it was a horrible call. Would I have called it? No, but I am not an official, and who knows if Dennard was warned before that, and it was the ref's last straw. Either way, that was two weeks ago, and I just don't think that call ruined the game for them. They had their chance, the lead and all to win, but they couldn't hold on. Their fault, not ours, not the refs.

 

Same goes for Penn State. They lost that game on their own. They had the lead, they should have been good enough to keep it. The better team won by double digits.

 

The biggest problem I have with people complaining about both of these calls is the assumption that they decided the game. That there is no possible way for Nebraska to win if the calls are made differently.

 

It's as if they forget on the PI call we were WELL within field goal range and had all the momentum, and MSU couldn't move the ball out of their own side of the field for the entire 4th quarter.

 

Or that after the fumble Nebraska put up another 5 points, which still means that with nothing else changing Nebraska wins the game.

[HuskerLuke]

Also, I agree that this would have no where near sealed the game. The PI last weekend on the other hand...

 

No, the PI didn't doom Sparty, either. Nebraska was in control of the game, they were in Maher's chip shot range, and even after the PI call, MSU just needed to hold Nebraska out of the endzone from 5 yards out for two plays, knowing full well that Nebraska was going to pass. On top of all of that, I dispute that the call was even a bad one. Was it pass interference? Probably not. But then, Nebraska had been flagged for at least 3 phantom DPI's already in the game, all of them extending MSU drives. If your metric is consistency, the flag had to come out there, because there's no doubt that there was contact, and in that game, contact of any kind = defensive pass interference.

 

Or that after the fumble Nebraska put up another 5 points, which still means that with nothing else changing Nebraska wins the game.

 

Yeah, this is probably the single line of reasoning that has turned me off to PSU's case post game. "Nebraska's other points would have NEVER happened had PSU been given that touchdown." OH REALLY? Because that 70 yard punt could have *never* happened with Nebraska down by three instead of up by four? Because Nebraska's offense which had rolled up 250 yards in a quarter and a half with a balanced attack was legitimately stoned by PSU's defense, not because we were incessently running the ball trying to burn clock?

 

PSU getting robbed on the TD (and I think they did) probably halved their chances of winning that game from 20% to 10%.

[AgMarauder04]

I just hate the fact that refs can "decide" the game. I know it's necessary (I'm one to talk, Alabama's offsides penalty basically won the A&M game). Whether it was the PSU TD call or the MSU pass interference call. When the calls are so questionable that the calls are being actively discussed and debated, I feel like in some sense, they have failed.

 

It makes me wonder the type of accountability. Are there post game reviews of performance, etc.

[bhamHusker]

 

With all the video I've seen, from every available angle, zoomed in and frame-by-frame, I'm firmly in the camp that thinks that whatever was called on the field would stand in this situation. Neither would be a terrible call. I still don't consider what we see in this .gif to be conclusive one way or another. Everything I've seen leaves me believing that in the few frames before the ball breaks the plane, it looks like the ball might be moving. I think that the question of whether or not the ball was coming out prior to him crossing the line is what they weren't able to conclusively answer, and thus they let the call stand. It's a tough break for PSU, a lucky one for us, and one that could have gone either way. That happens in this sport, and like most of you, I don't think it would have changed the outcome of the game.

[HuskerLuke]

I just hate the fact that refs can "decide" the game. I know it's necessary (I'm one to talk, Alabama's offsides penalty basically won the A&M game). Whether it was the PSU TD call or the MSU pass interference call. When the calls are so questionable that the calls are being actively discussed and debated, I feel like in some sense, they have failed.

 

It makes me wonder the type of accountability. Are there post game reviews of performance, etc.

 

Absolutely. The goal of any referee is to not be the story the next day. Sometimes there are close calls where they don't have a choice, but in both the MSU and PSU games (and frankly the UM game had it been closer), they failed in that regard. And yes, conferences review the officiating crew each week, and teams are allowed to submit video to the league for review if they think the refs blew it on something.

 

Also, not to seem trollish, because you've been a good guy on here, but its pretty ironic that a Texas A&M fan is on here talking about officials deciding games when..

[AgMarauder04]

I just hate the fact that refs can "decide" the game. I know it's necessary (I'm one to talk, Alabama's offsides penalty basically won the A&M game). Whether it was the PSU TD call or the MSU pass interference call. When the calls are so questionable that the calls are being actively discussed and debated, I feel like in some sense, they have failed. It makes me wonder the type of accountability. Are there post game reviews of performance, etc.

Absolutely. The goal of any referee is to not be the story the next day. Sometimes there are close calls where they don't have a choice, but in both the MSU and PSU games (and frankly the UM game had it been closer), they failed in that regard. And yes, conferences review the officiating crew each week, and teams are allowed to submit video to the league for review if they think the refs blew it on something. Also, not to seem trollish, because you've been a good guy on here, but its pretty ironic that a Texas A&M fan is on here talking about officials deciding games when..

 

I'll be the first to admit that A&M was the recipient of some "questionable" officiating during that game.

 

Ironically, the following season, we got called for a VERY similar call that led to Texas getting its final FG of the game to beat us. I kinda feel like it all comes out in the wash...eventually. (Unless you're playing Texas, in which case, you're screwed)

[HuskerLuke]

I'll be the first to admit that A&M was the recipient of some "questionable" officiating during that game.

 

Ironically, the following season, we got called for a VERY similar call that led to Texas getting its final FG of the game to beat us. I kinda feel like it all comes out in the wash...eventually. (Unless you're playing Texas, in which case, you're screwed)

 

Yeah it all comes out more or less even in the end. What I think happened in A&M and Nebraska's cases was that the officials know who writes their checks, so if they screw up, they want to be sure they screw up in favor of the powers that be. And in Nebraska's case, I think the refs just hated Pelini (can't say I blame them) and knew they could get away with pretty much anything since Nebraska was a pariah in the league that year.

[AgMarauder04]

I wouldn't put it past the Big XII. Many things about that conference were Bush-League....a big reason both schools bolted.

[HuskerNationNick]

TAMU was Dan Beebe's escape goat. Probably a big reason why they are no longer part of the Big 12. Because of the officiating, it made TAMU look like the crooks, when we all know it was not in their hands, or the coaches hands. I never had a bad taste in my mouth about TAMU from that game, I just had a bad taste in my mouth, because of the people who run the show. Anyway, back to 2012 lol

[AgMarauder04]

YES! 2012! B1G CCG, Beat Wisky (again), and on to Pasadena!

[JTrain]

Thanks for the article in the OP. Also had never seen the Northwestern President video from last year. That was cool.

 

As for the back and forth, two threads were locked for having this discussion three days ago. Watching the game over, it just makes Martin's 3rd down facemask penalty suck that much more.