Big Ten: Michigan State-Nebraska refs handled out-of-bounds play right

[CheeseHusker]

The fact it isn't really clear cut one way or the other makes it a good non-call, IMO.

We had 2-3 go against us so I shed no tears for anyone.

 

[Landlord]

It wasn't the RIGHT call. It was an acceptable call. It would have been acceptable either way.

 

[Count 'Bility]

Contact is contact. Its the way i read it. Looking back or not, the db was down the sideline with his left arm extended forcing Reilly out before Reilley could adjust over the top. So reilly studdered and came back inderneath to make the catch. In that dicey of a situation most officials wont take the points off the board.

And a top ten team shouldntve allowed it to come to that anyway. We started on the 9 with 55 seconds and no timeouts and still almost left too much time. And Dantonio knew it.

 

[Dansker]

It was a bad call, but it was a bad judgment call immediately at the point of the ref throwing his hat off evaluating the contact "forcing" Reilly out of bounds.

All the B1G is saying is that given that judgment, they followed all the procedures properly and correctly.

I thought it was a bad call too if you try to look at it from an unbiased point of view, anyway. I was pretty sure the TD would be called back for illegal touching and my reaction to them confirming it's a TD I was like everyone else in the stadium

 

[Red Dead Redemption]

It was a bad call, but it was a bad judgment call immediately at the point of the ref throwing his hat off evaluating the contact "forcing" Reilly out of bounds.

All the B1G is saying is that given that judgment, they followed all the procedures properly and correctly.

Wut?

He threw his hat only to indicate he went out of bounds -- no judgement used for that

 

[olddominionhusker]

As the rule states it is based on "contact" and a receiver going out of bounds. Contact is or isn't. When we start talking about the force of "contact", how are we to determine the amount of force that intiates being forced out?

The same way you look at pass interference. There is contact on just about every contested pass play. The official gets to decide if that contact constitutes interference.
This play is much the same. Yes there is contact but the official still gets to decide if that was the cause of the receiver going out of bounds. It's not binary. That's the judgment call part of this. He absolutely could have called it the other way and that play would stand as well because whether the contact causes the receiver to go out is up to the ref and not reviewable.

For everyone who is trying to make this seem like its a cut and dried call because the rule doesn't specifically say forced or pushed, please stop. Its implied in the statement "Due to contact by an opponent" and every official in the world will tell you that's how the rule is interpreted. The pass interference rule doesn't specifically mention every action that results in PI either. The refs aren't out there just following a script. Judgment and interpretation come in to play. I think the confusion on this point comes from the fact that they said after the game that the review was used to confirm if there was contact. That's true but it's also the only part of the play that was reviewable along with in/out of bounds. People somehow extrapolated this to think that was the whole rule, case closed. The judgement part wasn't reciewable but still exists as the Big 10 statement confirms

Reasonable people can disagree with whether the contact on this play was enough to cause BR to leave the field of play. This statement by the Big 10 clarifies the rule well and clearly confirms that this is in fact a judgement call play.

 

[Elf]

It was a bad call, but it was a bad judgment call immediately at the point of the ref throwing his hat off evaluating the contact "forcing" Reilly out of bounds.

All the B1G is saying is that given that judgment, they followed all the procedures properly and correctly.

I thought it was a bad call too if you try to look at it from an unbiased point of view, anyway. I was pretty sure the TD would be called back for illegal touching and my reaction to them confirming it's a TD I was like everyone else in the stadium

I heard the crowd in the stadium absolutely go nuts when the call was confirmed. With that in mind, I'm pretty sure the rest of the stadium wasn't as confused as your emoticons are.

I didn't know the wording of the rule so when the play happened I was pretty sure it was going to get called back as well.

 

[VectorVictor]

Big Ten officiating coordinator Bill Carollo told CBS Sports on Sunday that he thought there was slight contact by Edmondson and supported his official's call.

"The degree of that (contact) you can debate for the next 10 years," Carollo said. "When you've got 4.3 speed running down the sideline, it doesn't take a whole lot to move you. It's not one of those obvious ones that people will say he was pushed. These defensive backs are very well coached and he was probably taught exactly that way. I wouldn't say to coach these guys differently, but they know that's the risk when you run down the sideline with them. ... He's squeezing the sideline. That's what the defensive back is supposed to do. He's trying to get him out of bounds."

Carollo said he felt "pretty comfortable" with the positioning of the official. "I pay him to make those calls," he said. "Either way, we're going to have to make a decision. You take a touchdown away, it's a big play. Do I wish it was more obvious? Sure. But replay can't fix that. It's a tough judgment call."

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/jon-solomon/25367501/big-ten-officials-used-proper-mechanics-on-nebraska-michigan-state-td

This.

And frankly, even if it wasn't the right call, MSU should not have put themselves in a position where they had to depend on a weak secondary (and really, a weak defense overall that night) to save the game. MSU should have taken care of business earlier and shut the door on us if they didn't want to be susceptible to a last-minute fluke play win or a bad call taking a win out of their hands.

Now where have I heard that before...

 

[VA Husker Fan]

Yeah, I can't believe how wide open we got on the 2 catches leading up to the TD. Good routes and very on target passes helped, but they sure made it easier on us.

 

[Scratchtown]

Anyone who says it's the wrong call needs to think a bit here.

Judgement calls are opinion based after a set of critiria has been met. Therefore no right or wrong. It's interpreted in the way the official saw it based on the set of rules and criteria he has been given to make such a call.

There was contact, and use of the body to force the receiver out of bounds. I believe, the way I see it, the right call was made. I have always had a bit different view of how this rule should be interpreted. In my opinion, they finally got one right

 

[Dansker]

It was a bad call, but it was a bad judgment call immediately at the point of the ref throwing his hat off evaluating the contact "forcing" Reilly out of bounds.

All the B1G is saying is that given that judgment, they followed all the procedures properly and correctly.

I thought it was a bad call too if you try to look at it from an unbiased point of view, anyway. I was pretty sure the TD would be called back for illegal touching and my reaction to them confirming it's a TD I was like everyone else in the stadium

I heard the crowd in the stadium absolutely go nuts when the call was confirmed. With that in mind, I'm pretty sure the rest of the stadium wasn't as confused as your emoticons are.

I didn't know the wording of the rule so when the play happened I was pretty sure it was going to get called back as well.

I was there. A lot of fans around me weren't too confident the TD would stand. We had a pretty good vantage point by the way but there were some who were a bit tedious waiting for Nebraska to somehow get "screwed out of the call" so I was a bit surprised the TD stood and immediately after, I was thinking to myself, "Oh, f**k! Now we have to play defense!"

 

[NebraskaShellback]

Mark Dantonio gets my vote for the fickle finger of Fate​

 

[walksalone]

face it, they caught a break, after a season of hard luck calls, this team had finally one go there way...

 

[Mierin]

face it, they caught a break, after a season of hard luck calls, this team had finally one go there way...

It's not really a break when it's a 50/50 judgement call. Breaks are when it went your way and really shouldn't have.

 

[mnhusker]

It was the call I thought they got right. Yes, DB's will try to ride a receiver out of bounds, usually they don't get the time to re-establish themselves on the field before the ball gets there. Reilly did.

Two calls bothered me more, one was the no call on A.Moore. Official was looking right at the MSU DB trapping Moore's arm in the crook of his elbow. Worse, I really thought there was cause for a targeting call on the last hit Westy took. Helmet to helmet with the DB using the crown.

Par for the course from B1G officials I guess.

I agree it seems to me that him being able to re-establish himself is an important part of the call that is not discussed as he was clearly re-established on the field.