I feel ya, Michael Corleone. I feel ya.
If you haven’t heard, there was a controversial call in the Florida-Mississippi State game last night.
An interception by Florida linebacker Dustin Doe was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a close game. Shortly after/as he/before Doe crossed the goal line, the ball was knocked out of his hand. Initial replays were somewhat inconclusive, but then ESPN synched up replays from two different angles — damn you, WWL — and put them in a split screen, which threw into doubt the original call on the field and subsequent replay review that confirmed the initial ruling of a touchdown.
Personally, I was on the fence about whether it was right or wrong, whether it was right or wrong for the replay official to uphold it. However…
After a night of watching, re-watching, then watching and re-watching some more, MSU head coach Dan Mullen has come to his own set of conclusions. A very strong set of conclusions that will, in all likelihood, not sit well with the higher-ups in the ivory towers of the SEC.
According to Mullen — who earlier chastised the officials for calling numerous kickoff offsides — the replay official committed an egregious error in confirming the call on the field. So egregious, in fact, that the coach wants the replay official disciplined, if not lose his job as an SEC official entirely.
“To me, I’m going to find out who that video replay was. I’ve seen it over and over, views of the ball being out of his hand before he crossed the goal line,” Mullen said according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
“That’s twice that a SEC replay official – I don’t know why we even have replay right now in the Southeastern Conference if they are not going to utilize it. That’s twice that they’ve blown calls on the replay with our games resulting in big plays and I think that’s unexcusable for that official. I mean, I hope he is severely punished, if (he) ever works another SEC game again, because I think it is completely unacceptable.
“I can understand making a bad call in a live speed on a game like the offsides call. There’s no excuse for a guy that has the amount of time to replay the video to make sure they get the call right. That’s why we do instant replay. And I think it’s embarrassing that they blew that call. I’ve seen the still shots with the ball out of his hand. So I don’t think that’s acceptable on a guy that is not watching it in live speed, has the ability to watch all the different angles.”
“Mr. Mullen, there’s a Mr. Slive for you on Line 1…“
I don’t know what the SEC is going to do, but they need to attempt to do something.
Not about Mullen, necessarily, but about the perception of their officiating. Every call is being placed under a microscope more powerful than the Hubble telescope, and the conspiracy theorists are out in full throat. It’s no longer about the football on the field; rather, it’s about who’s gonna get hosed next in the booth or by the laundry in the official’s hip pockets.
What the SEC has is a raging PR nightmare, and its latest source of fuel is one of their own head coaches publicly calling for the head of one of their officials.
How do they go about extinguishing it? They can’t, not this season, and therein lies the issue.
Good luck, SEC. You’re gonna need it.
Mr. Kissinger, I think your diplomacy skills are needed at SEC HQ
They opened this can of worms when they suspended the other crew–and you’re right, there’s no re-sealing it this season. I was pulling for Miss. St. and thought it looked like the ball might have been stripped before Lett, um, the Fla. hot-dogger crossed the goal line. But the operative word is “might.” It wasn’t as clearcut as Mullen’s making out. His decision to call that fake punt did more to kill his team’s chances than any call made by the officials.
(Now I’m in love with a couple of Steeler linebackers–I’m so fickle. I was supposed to be at a baby shower this afternoon. Women! I told them I wouldn’t leave the Steelers/Vikes game if it were my baby. They didn’t get it. But the incoming is a boy and his dad’s a football fan, so one day he will
I said it last night and I will say it again, this is an embarrassment. Combined with the previous weeks horrible call in favor or FLA, the slippery slope of speculations should commence.
Florida is used to getting the calls their way. They don’t play such a soft schedule for nothing.
Lose the BCS and hold a legitimate playoff and the Florida schools won’t make it past the second round, even with SEC officials.
Nice message Mullen sends his team. His take on the game seems to be that his team played hard and the refs blew it. Never mind that they were down 2 possessions with or without that TD, that his offense accounted for 6 pts all night (he’s the coordinator), and if not for a couple weird picks they were clearly outplayed. Nope, it was the refs fault. Bad calls have always happened (and this one is debatable if it’s even bad), and these coaches are now passing the blame and perpetuating what isn’t really that big of an issue. I have never seen a game where at least some of the fault for a loss can’t be pinned on the players and/or coaches not getting it done, yet we (and obviously these ego inflated coaches) love to focus on the 1 play out of 150 in a game where a ref may have screwed up. I imagine the SEC is going to issue a behind the scene “shut your traps” ultimatum, and they should.
@bluths …
The behind-the-scenes ultimatum you’ve suggested is probably the only logical solution at this point. Miss. St. played a better game than you’re giving them credit for playing, but the final score wasn’t close and this call wasn’t a game-changer. I don’t understand what Mullen hopes to gain with this, but it does undermine the valiant effort of a team that was outmatched going in.
Like you said, all games have bad or questionable calls–usually going against both teams. How much people complain about them depends on whether their team won or lost. I don’t give much credence to conspiracy theories, but if there is an issue with the SEC officials, it should be addressed in the off-season. Right now, it’s a distraction that serves no purpose and does a disservice to all the teams in the conference.
Everybody is attacking Florida cause Florida is the team to hate right now… we get that. The truth is there is no way anyone here is looking at this play with any type of impartiality. Last week the Gators got a few calls their way, but Alabama didn’t catch a break either?
About the play, people are focusing on the wrong part of the play: when the ball is knocked out. The player was swinging the ball, and the ball was knocked out when it was swung back. But what no one seems to notice is how the ball CROSSES THE PLANE when it was swung forward.
Just for the record… I am a state fan and I was proud of my bulldogs!
Mullens should keep his eye on his next game. Look at what happened to Arkansas after complaining about the outcome of the FL/ARKANSAS game. Arkansas showed the nation how good they actually were, and went and lost this week!
Go Gators…see you in Jacksonville
Fix job.
@DMurph …
I can’t stand the Gators, but that’s a loser’s lament.
@ Deb… I couldn’t care less about Florida or Miss St, don’t go making assumptions. If this was an isolated incident that’d be one thing. If it’s part of a broader pattern of questionable calls, as is clearly the case, then it’s something else entirely.