Irish Defeated By a Big Ten Foe...Or Should We Say Big Ten Refs

(note: I am not good with computers and was unable to paste pictures of the plays in the article)

             The atmosphere was electric in Ann Arbor, Michigan this past Saturday as Michigan and Notre Dame delivered a stunning performance.  It was a clash of two titans in the college football world and the two teams with the highest winning percentage in college football.  Though both programs have fallen out of the national scene for that past few years, there was no doubt that this was one of the biggest games of the weekend.  It featured great play on both sides and the see-sawing action on the scoreboard was reminiscent of the old days where these two programs demanded respect and praise.  But there was something about this game that left me scratching, or more accurately, clawing at my head after it was finished.  Though I would never suspect a team of cheating, the officials of this game definitely seemed to call the game in favor of the home team.  The Big Ten team.  The Michigan Wolverines.  No doubt the wolverines played an outstanding game, at least on offense and special teams, but it seemed that the one constant throughout the game was the Big Ten officiating crew was favoring Michigan.  Now before you call me a whiner, please hear me out and listen to my argument.  I am not trying to discredit the Michigan team.  They played a valiant game, but the aftermath of this game featured most of the people I know (even USC fans) claiming Notre Dame was robbed rather than congratulating Michigan on a well played game.  Without any further chit-chat, let me break down a few of the calls that I think had a great influence on why I believe the Big Ten referees were biased in this game:

            1.  The inconclusive overturn:  The review is one of the greatest additions to college football that I can remember, but something went array when it was used Saturday.  The rules for a review include: 1) There is reasonable evidence to believe an error was made in the initial on-field ruling 2) The play is reviewable 3) Any reversal of the on-field ruling, which can only result from indisputable video evidence, would have a direct, competitive impact on the game.  The play in question started on a 2^nd and 6 from the Michigan 41.  Notre Dame appeared to execute a perfect screen as Armando Allen raced down the sideline, under the watchful eyes of 2 referees, and scored a TD.  However, Allen was close to stepping out of bounds, so close that Rich Rodriguez smartly decided to use a timeout and give the officials an opportunity to review the play.  The first angle showed that Allen went out of bounds and Rodriguez appeared to look like a genius.  However, the second angle, and the better angle, showed that the play was very close and there was inconclusive evidence to overturn the play.  The reaction I got from a variety of people was the play could have gone either way, but he was most likely in bounds.  There was no indisputable evidence to overturn the call on the field based on the pictures.  Big East officials who reviewed the play after the game said there was no logical reason to overturn this call.  This blunder from the officials directly cost ND 4 points and overtime.

            2.  Unsportsmanlike Conduct:  Notre Dame had just scored a touchdown to take a one point lead.  They decided to go for a two point conversion and used the Boise St. stature of liberty play.  Allen bobbled the handoff, but then raced into the end zone for 2 points.  With the refs hand already in his pocket, Allen calmly put his finger to his facemask towards the crowd and then walked back to the bench with his teammates.  15 yards were given to the wolverines on the worst and most amateur call of the game.  In a game where Michigan doggy piled after their final touchdown and Boubacar Cissoko brutally pushed Michael Floyd to the ground as he was getting up right in front of the ref, this was the play that got an unsportsmanlike penalty.  This was a reaction that Allen said had never been penalized before in his life.  Why was this amateur referee so ready to throw a flag?  There is no way to rationalize with the thinking of the referee in a play that altered the field position in favor of the Wolverines for the rest of the game.  If you are going to call an unsportsmanlike penalty on this play, at least call it on a play where Cissoko could have concussed Floyd.  The referees have to be consistent and when it came to Unsportsmanlike conduct they were anything but that.

            3. Pancaking on the Offense:  Mike Ragone chip blocked freshman defensive end Craig Roh as the Irish tried to mount a comeback.  Losing his balance, Roh moved straight into the path of Sam Young who finished him off.  With his hands inside Roh’s shoulder pads, Young grabbed Roh’s chest protector, as you are told to do, and drove him to the ground.  If there was ever a lesson on how to pancake a defender, this was it.  Kyle Rudolph caught the Clausen pass and scampered 70+ yards to a first and goal situation.  However, the official with the bad angle on the play threw a flag for holding on Young.  Instead of having first and goal and the lead in their sights, the Irish faced a 1^st and 20 deep in their own territory which lead to a punt and Michigan score.  All of this because of a pancake block.  (Also, note that the clock keeper ignored the official’s command to reset the clock on a play later in this drive which cost ND a time out)  The Big Ten officials have noted that holding would be a point of emphasis this year, but how is there such a major disparity between what is a hold to a Big Ten crew and what is a hold to the crew officiating the Nevada vs. Notre Dame game.  Notre Dame got called for 5+ holding penalties after not being called for one the previous week.  Michigan got called for 2 holding penalties; a number that would seem reasonable if ND was not gashed by this offense so often and Michigan had so many broken plays.  How can you have so many plays go off track with Forcier scrambling and not have that many holds.  It does not work that way.  Broken Plays=penalties.  How the Big Ten will resolve this new issue of awful judgment on what is a hold is beyond me and this joke of a rule will likely cost others big plays because of sound fundamentals.

            4.  The second to last play of the Michigan Game winning drive:  Michigan did two things illegal things here and how neither were called is beyond me.  First let me provide you with video of the play. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rTOuB0rQtM (skip to 3:35 to see said play).  If you look at this play you will notice two things went wrong here that the officials missed.  The first one is Braden Minor’s false start.  It is fairly obvious that Minor dipped down to start running before the snapper moved his arm back.  That should have been a five yard penalty.  However, the Wolverines should have been penalized again for having an illegal man downfield.  Here are the rules for an illegal man downfield for those who are unfamiliar: Article 10. No originally ineligible receiver shall be or have been beyond the neutral zone until a legal forward pass that crosses the neutral zone has been thrown (A.R. 7-3-10-I and II.) Exceptions: 1. When, after the snap, a Team A ineligible receiver immediately charges and contacts an opponent at a point no more than one yard beyond the neutral zone and does not continue the contact more than three yards beyond the neutral zone. 2. When the contact that has driven the opponent not more than three yards from the neutral zone is lost by a player who was ineligible at the snap, he must remain stationary at that spot until the pass is thrown.  Now this infraction is much closer than the false start by Minor.  With the ball at the 5 yard line, the right guard blocks the Irish defender, stops, and then blocks again at the 3 yard line.  I feel that this was not illegal because he contact him within 1 yard of the neutral zone.  However, the right guard continues to run to the 1 and ½ to 1 yard line therefore violating the fact that he must he must not go past 3 yards from the neutral zone and he must remain stationary.  This call is much closer than the false start and I do think the refs had a tougher call on this problem.  However, if you are not going to abide by the rules which govern the game, how can it be played fairly.  Many Michigan fans dismissed the possible interference on Tate (see #5) in the previous Notre Dame drive because it was too late and the refs needed to preserve the honesty of the game.  Well, the refs definitely didn’t seem too afraid to penalize Allen late in the game (see #1) or ignore things Michigan did that should have been deemed penalties.  I realize that refs have a touch job, but to miss a fairly obvious false start is beyond amateur.  That is the type of officiating I call “blind officiating”.

            5.  Questionable no-calls on pass interference:  It’s awfully hard to catch a ball with one hand.  I have seen some great one handed catches, most notably the Mike Williams catch a few years ago.  However, Golden Tate should not have been forced to use one hand to catch a deep pass early in the game.  Donavan Warren raced down the field and blatantly grabbed Tate’s right arm as he stretched out for the ball.  The pass fell incomplete and Warren went on talking smack to Tate (No, only holding your finger up to your helmet is unsportsmanlike conduct).  The official did nothing on a play that Tate looked like he was interfered with.  I am sorry Mr. Warren, but when you were not getting beat you were getting bailed out by the refs.  As the picture clearly shows, Warren interfered with Tate and how the officials missed Tate’s right hand not being able to move is, once again, beyond me.  Then later in the game, Warren appeared to interfere with Tate again.  This time it was in a crucial situation as a first down on said play could have sealed the game.  Clausen chucked a deep ball and Tate was guarded by Warren.  Warren did a good job with his positioning here, but Clausen under threw the ball causing Tate to slow down.  Warren, who failed to turn his head around, made contact with Tate as Tate tried to reach over him.  If Warren turns his head it is a likely interception.  However, almost every time a corner does not turn his head and the receiver is forced to effectively run through the corner to get to the short pass, it is pass interference.  This is almost a guarantee.  Yet Warren was not awarded a penalty in front of the Michigan bench and Notre Dame was forced into a 3^rd and 10.  This call was more difficult than the first one, and I admit that the rules involving pass interference favor the wide receivers way too much, but you have got to officiate according to those rules and the refs failed to do that.

            There were other places throughout the game where penalties could have and likely should have been called on both teams.  However, it seemed as though every crucial play for the Irish, most notably the ones above, were ruled in favor of Michigan even in the face of evidence that did not support the calls made.  I realize that officials are humans, but they are paid to do their job and they cannot make that many bad calls, especially when they are all against one team.  The fact that the officiating crew was from the Big Ten only hurts the case that the officials were unbiased.  The fact that they failed to let Charlie Weis ask why a call was made despite promising him the opportunity to do this is mind boggling (note CW’s post game press conferences).  The fact that the officials sprinted off the field after taking time off the clock (is that even legal according to the rules) is suspicious.  The fact that the head referee, Bill Lemoinner, lives in Ann Arbor and has been around questionable games involving Michigan before (just ask Illinois fans) is even more suspicious. 

            You can call me a whiner all you want, but I want to know what happened to the officiating in Ann Arbor on September 12, 2009.  I want to know how so many crucial plays were called on such an obvious one sided manner.  How can I trust Big Ten officials (who are paid by the Big Ten) to officiate another game that Notre Dame is in when every person I have talked to, ND and USC fans alike, agree that the refs botched this game.  I realize that everything is set in stone and Michigan won the game, but you must be ignorant to think that the referees had no effect on this game.  I want answers to this debacle, and I want them now.