It was either an afternoon of comeuppance decades in the making or a highway robbery of the highest order, depending on your view. But one thing was undeniable: the officiating during the Texas-Oklahoma State game was the hottest topic in the Big 12 on Monday.
The Longhorns were flagged 16 times for 128 yards in their 30-27 loss to Oklahoma State, while the Cowboys were charged with seven penalties for 40 yards. Among those 16 flags, Texas saw two touchdowns and a lengthy interception return taken off the board and, most controversially, a defensive holding call which, in turn, bled into an unsportsmanlike conduct call, that provide the necessary yardage for Oklahoma State to tie the game at 27-27 with a little more than 90 seconds remaining in the game.
Here is the defensive holding call on Texas defensive tackle Poona Ford:
And here is the unsportsmanlike conduct flag Charlie Strong drew protesting the call:
VIDEO: @ATXANT10's angle of Charlie Strong's late game 15yd personal foul penalty. Appears to make contact w official pic.twitter.com/zaRdtQjXHJ
— Adam Winkler (@AdamWinkABC13) September 27, 2015
On Monday evening, Big 12 coordinator of football officials Walt Anderson spoke with Dallas Morning News writer Chuck Carlton and Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls defending his charges’ work:
Big 12 coordinator Walt Anderson on Texas-Oklahoma St officiating: "There were a lot of things that did happen in the game.... (cont)
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) September 29, 2015
Big 12 coordinator Walt Anderson on Texas-Oklahoma St officiating: "There were a lot of things that did happen in the game.... (cont)
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) September 29, 2015
More Anderson: "There were a few mistakes -- and I emphasize a few -- and you want to learn from them."
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) September 29, 2015
Anderson said the "vast majority of the calls in the Texas-Oklahoma State game were correct."
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) September 29, 2015
As to which calls were correct and which ones weren’t? Anderson didn’t say.
Asked for grade the Texas-OSU official crew got, Anderson said "We don’t share any of that, not at liberty to say which calls were wrong.
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) September 29, 2015
Austin American-Statesman beat writer Brian Davis noted earlier Monday that referee Alan Eck‘s crew flagged Texas far more often than the rest of its peers.
In 10 Big 12 games, referee Alan Eck's officiating crew flagged Texas an avg of 13.5 times/106.5 yards. Other crews avg. = 5.75 flags/50 yds
— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) September 28, 2015
Apprised of that information, Anderson wouldn’t say whether or not he’d assign Eck’s crew to another Texas game.
Big 12 officiating supervisor Walt Anderson says he doesn't know if Alan Eck crew will work another Texas game this year.
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) September 29, 2015
Anderson says he works "three weeks ahead on the officials' schedule" and will not make any scheduling public.
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) September 29, 2015
Anderson defended the flags against Ford and Strong, specifically.
Walt Anderson didn't want to go into specifics but did say that Charlie Strong's unsportsmanlike penalty was not for bumping the official.
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) September 29, 2015
Asked if he thought the line judge baited or crowded Charlie Strong, Walt Anderson said, "I think that'd be an unfair statement."
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) September 29, 2015
Asked why Charlie Strong was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, Anderson said, "Some things were said that rose to that level."
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) September 29, 2015
In general terms, Anderson also said the standard for defensive holding is a "visible material restriction."
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) September 29, 2015
B12 supervisor Walt Anderson on defensive holding on a run: "Seen quite a few of them. We've got a lot of examples."
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) September 29, 2015
In the end, it was a case of an official defending one of his own - not that anyone should have expected differently. Zebras are like offensive linemen. They never call out their peers publicly.