Ducks Defeat Sooners, Use Up 40 Years of Officiating Karma
There isn’t much to say about tonight’s 34-33 win over Oklahoma other than that this was a pretty spectacular display of how terrible officiating is in the Pac-10. A quick recap:
- Oregon did not recover the onside kick. The ball should have been given to Oklahoma since a member of the kicking team touched the ball before it had traveled ten yards. Simply put, the officials on the field made a bad call. This is pretty standard. But what was extraordinary was the replay official (who I can only assume was being held at gunpoint by someone in a Duck costume) confirming the call on the field. Had the correct call been made, Oklahoma would have had the ball and easily won the game.
- On the second play following the onside kick recovery, a Sooner defender was called for pass interference. I can’t tell whether he actually did interfere with the Oregon receiver, but there is no question that the ball was tipped before any interference was committed. Once again, the officials on the field made a poor call. And once again, the replay official did not overturn it. This call was terrible, obviously, but it wasn’t anywhere near as crucial as the aforementioned phantom onside kick.
It’s a win. A win over a team that I extremely dislike. But it was about as ugly and tainted as one can be. The Oregon defense looked like, well, a typical Pac-10 defense. Oregon’s offense committed three turnovers. Brady Leaf was brought in for one series, presumably because Dennis Dixon didn’t have enough to worry about during the game. But it was a win, dammit. And you have to be grateful for that.
Now please, beat the living hell out of Arizona State and Cal. Please. If only for our pride.
What percentage of the population was killed on December 7, 1941? It didn
What percentage of the population was killed on December 7, 1941? It didn’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now.
Just as “the idea of who constitutes a person has expanded somewhat over the centuries,” it is now time for US to expand OUR thoughts and adapt to what is happening around us. That includes modifying the Constitution and/or the articles of the Geneva Convention.
The war on terrorism is unlike any war previously fought on the planet and calls for us to respond in ways unlike we’ve ever responded previously.
Now, if you want to talk about our ongoing overseas operations in Afghanistan and Iraq we’ll probably have more in common. The former, well, it’s sort of hard to argue with taking out a government that directly sponsors terrorists and the latter, well, domino-theory-in-reverse seems reasonable….but I think both have been terribly mismanaged.
The former mainly because of our zeal for the drug war and insisting on erradicating opium poppies which provide about all the income in the country without doing anything to prop up the local economy. The latter, well, it’s kind of hard to install democracy anywhere and I don’t think we’ve done a good job of dealing with local factors like three distinct groups that hate each other a lot. Plus the issue of Syria sending in “insurgents” and what not.
But when it comes to things the government does inside the US? We’re a nation of laws, dammit, and it is completely unconcionable for the government to start wantonly violating its mandate in the name of “security”.
Well, being that there’s a 3/5 clause in the Constitution, I certainly suffer no delusions about the opinions of the framers over racial matters. Women couldn’t vote either, for what it’s worth. “Person” meant “white, landowning male”, but fortunately the idea of who consitutes a person has expanded somewhat over the centuries. Do I think Padilla is as cuddly-wuddly as Pooh Bear? No, but he is a citizen and he does have rights.
But, I mean, the Constitution is TOTALLY about just ignoring it whenever a bunch of “camel jockeys”, as you’ve so eloquently called them, kill .00106667% of the population. I’m sure that was supposed to be in the articles somewhere, must’ve gotten covered up when Mason spilled the white-out, clumsy bastard.
Corpus schmorpus. You think the same Congress would have sat idly by while camel jockeys disguised as airline pilots rammed into their buildings? You think the same Congress would have defended the “rights” of those thugs? Bunk.
Our founding fathers have worn themselves out spinning in their graves thanks to the likes of the ACLU et al. In their day a prison sentence was actually punishment and a deterrent from crime. Hell, your buddy Padilla likely would have been shot first before being held without trial, and nobody would have complained a bit.
I just realized your last name must be Leary and you’re obviously feeling the effects of the LSD.
And, yes, as a matter of course, I am aware that Jefferson attempted to suspend habeas corpus in order to get Aaron Burr for treason (by limiting the ablity of those accused of treason to file such writs). You know the difference? Congress bloody stopped him.
Buy? Why would I buy when it’ll be on the net for free soon enough. Wonders of the modern age, but I’m only interested if you’re both over the legal age of consent. And if your sister is hot.
Not even our founding fathers could have foreseen the pure evil that spawned the crimes committed on 9/11/01 and continues still to plot similar actions. Same with the participants of the Geneva Convention. Thank God we have an administration willing to do what
Whew! Sis was a real firecracker today. Hey Tim, since you’re such a staunch defender of pornography, ya wanna buy a copy of the video of me and her?
Not even our founding fathers could have foreseen the pure evil that spawned the crimes committed on 9/11/01 and continues still to plot similar actions. Same with the participants of the Geneva Convention. Thank God we have an administration willing to do what’s right to protect the masses, even if those being protected are as ungrateful as you.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAWKS!
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
That applies to military personnel or persons in the Militia who are in active service during a time of War or public danger, the framers seem to have neglected the “except civilians the Executive branch really doesn’t like” clause that Madison was always going on about.
I knew there was a reason I always liked Trapper John better.
May President Tom’s first missile land on your house. Oh, and did you happen to notice the “War or public danger” language in the 5th amendment? I’d write more but I have to go make love with my sister.
Keep the country safe and free by declaring war on pornography, violating our fourth and fifth amendment rights on a regular basis, and making sure that US Citizens don’t see trial? Or are you thinking of freedom in the “do what the government says and live in fear, dear citizens” sense?
Please, if you think a few thousand brown people living in caves presents some sort of existential threat to the West on the order of Soviet Russia or The Axis, well, you’re either intellectually dishonest or an idiot. But, you know, this thread is about football so getting into the whole “You’re a jingoistic moron/no, you’re a Terrorist-lover” argument is roughly akin to the worst aspects of a high school CX-Policy debate.
In Conclusion:
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DUCKS!
PS: Country music is for inbreds.
Niedermeyer, my friend, I’ll be the first to admit my home state is rather boring. Not much other than cornfields, beanfields and some of the best livestock in the world. But you’re probably a tofu and seaweed kinda guy so you wouldn’t appreciate a great steak or 1″+ thick pork chop.
Boring, yes, but full of some of the most genuine people you’ll ever encounter. People grounded in what’s real, and who enjoy entertainers of the same ilk, like Toby Keith. Because the air here so frequently smells of manure it’s very easy for us to identify a B.S.’er when we see/hear one, and I smell one here.
By the way, “the defining struggle of the 21st century” in these parts is the war against Islamo-Facism. You go fight your douchebags. God knows there are plenty of them in your neck of the woods. Meantime, us real folk will do whatever we can to keep the country safe and free so you and your kind can continue to express your opinions in forums like this one.
OSU Fan: Texas would be great except for the damn weather. Low taxes, friendly people, good food…all delivered at 100+ degrees nine months of the year. And, I must confess, I don’t actually watch college football (so I did not see the Tulsa/North Texas game), but I sort of enjoy the back-and-forth taunting that goes along with it. Nothing like a good taunting.
Well, now we’re apologizing for the officiating. Are you jokers happy now?
Hawkeye: What’s up with the Toby Keith bashing? Pal, the war on douchebaggery is the defining struggle of the 21st Century. Toby Keith must be the first against the wall.
Oh, and I’ve been to Iowa several times… don’t make me go through the cliches.
Everyone else: yeah, but that one drive where OU scored, they totally snapped after the play clock expired, etc. etc. etc.
Timothy,
Actually, I like Texas. It’s a nice place with mostly good folks. And San Antonio used to be a great place. You sound like an Austinite, though, kinda disconnected from the real Texas.
Speaking of North Texas, did you see the Tulsa-North Texas game?
OSU Cowboy fan:
My mom’s from San Angelo, my dad grew up in Houston, I went to school in Oregon and reside in San Antonio. Although, I must admit, I largely share Phil Sheridan’s opinion of the state.
Oklahoma, though, man, that’s a curse I’d wish on neither friend nor foe. It’s like North Texas without any of the wit and charm.
Bravo Ian! I remain impressed with your level-headed approach to the whole situation. I just saw on ESPN the Pac-10 has suspended the officials for one game. Idiot or not, your commissioner obviously agrees with the majority of posters here the calls were blatantly blown.
I also agree with your take of the OU president. No way in hell the game should be nullified, nor should the officials be suspended for the remainder of the season. Although it might not be a bad idea to give serious consideration to offering them jobs next year.
Good luck revamping the image of the conference in terms of football. Personally I think there are far too many tree huggers in the region to spawn true smashmouth footballers.
Blame shouldn’t lie with the Oregon players or the idiotic Pac-10 officials. The real problem here is the Pac-10 commissioners office, which has allowed pitifully bad officiating to become the norm over the past decade. Commissioner Tom Hansen should have been removed years ago.
While I’m quite pleased that the Ducks won, I think what my fellow Oregon fans may be missing is the fact that a win like this reflects very poorly on both the school and our conference. People already (rightfully?) think the Pac-10 is a cupcake conference, and horrible calls like this only reinforce that image.
With that said, calls to have the game nullified by people like Oklahoma President David Boren are idiotic and unproductive. Can you imagine the chaos if this sort of precedent was set? Miami was screwed out of a national championship by poor officiating back during the 2002 season, and the LSU/Auburn game (which was between two teams that are actually title contenders, unlike UO/UO) this very week had awful calls which influenced the outcome. Bad calls, even terrible calls like in the UO/OU game, happen every week in every level of football.
The thing is, they usually go against the Ducks. Hence my choice of title. I’m sure some Longhorns fans could find examples of Oklahoma being given gifts by officiating crews.
Dan, it’s not necessary to apologize for your assessment of Ohio State. The Hawks will have to bring their A+ games AND play totally mistake-free football just to have a ghost of a chance to beat the Buckeyes in Iowa City in a couple weeks. Has all the makings of an ESPN instant classic.
As for Michigan, I think they’re a bit overrated. Yes, they took the Irish to the woodshed but Notre Dame gave them plenty of bulletin board material in the days leading up to the game. And I don’t think the Irish had been tested much in weeks 1 and 2.
I definitely disagree with your take on the Oregon onside kick, however. Granted, the camera angle was not the most ideal but it sure looked pretty easy to me to determine the ball had not gone 10 yards before being touched by Oregon. And I think OSU Cowboy Fan had it right when he said the Sooner defense was shellshocked, first by the onside kick call and then the phantom interference call. Even if you’re a top notch Division I college athlete it’s pretty tough to stay intensely focused when you get shafted to that degree twice in just a few minutes. I stand by what I said earlier in terms of that tape needing to be analyzed by NCAA officials.
And Niedermeyer, whassup with all the Toby Keith bashin’? Thanks for reminding me why I could never live in the Pacific Northwest. It’s sad what the lack of sunshine and all that rain does to the majority of people. Why don’t you go back to your hole in the basement, turn on your grunge “music” and sip a 25-cent cup of coffee for which you paid $5.75 at Starbucks? Oh, and resume your fantasy of how the Pac 10 is a real football conference and your Ducks really did deserve to be a BCS team.
Really hard to tell if it went 10 yds or not at that angle. The really bad officiating was in blowing the whistle too fast. The Oregon player did not have full possession, however it looks like the Oregon player had the ball when the whistle blew. Personal attacks are only for idiots, suprised you can even turn a television on.
Sad, another state that’s just not ready for my infinite wisdom yet.
Niedermeyer,
Have you seen Texas play this year? Two touchdowns? Are you still drunk from your “victory” party?
Dustin, you wouldn’t make it five minutes in Oklahoma without getting laughed out of the state.
Timothy, I don’t believe you’re from Texas. I don’t think they even have “ostensibly” in their dictionaries.
Yer pard,
ECS
Look, if you’re going to use Southern colloquialisms (and I think y’all is great, being that I’m ostensibly from Texas and all), I simply request that you put the apostrophes in the right places.
I mean, Oklahoma is like a tumor that Texas excised to stay healthy, but that doesn’t mean those carpetbaggers can’t spell.
Timothy I’m trying to speak to them in their own dialect. Ca’nt ya’ll cut ma som slak!
[begin pedant]
“y’all” is a contraction for “you all” and, as such, the apostrophe goes between the “y” and the “all”. It decidedly does not go between the “a” and the “ll”
[end pedant]
Pres, if you blame the loss last year on a guy named Vince. Ask yourself where your team would be without the man-beast Peterson. As for taking bets, I am a gambling man. Don’t think I’m offering a 40 point spread, they might win by that but probably shouldn’t be favored by more than a touchdown for all the reasons ya’ll mentioned above.
Busted.
I was being too gracious in victory anyway… The Ducks completely deserved the win, if only as retribution for the presence of *Sooners* fan, and douchebag extraordinaire Toby Keith at Autzen Stadium. Sorry boys, but if you have an asshat like him following your team around you deserve the shafting you got.
That’s just the way the world works.
“Sorry Cowboy fan(s), but if you take Peterson out ” um, Oklahoma is the Sooners, and Oklahoma State aare the Cowboys-educated? laughing..??
Yes Dustin-if you’re taking money I’ll take that bet even if you change the spread to pk, because Stoops has the Browns’ number-and WILL NOT lose 2 years in a row to a coach who has only beaten OU once during his tenure and only because of a guy named Vince. OU got screwed, I know if I were an Oregon fan I would not feel good about winning a game like that…
C’mon now guys… I don’t think anyone is thrilled by the way the game ended, as exciting as it was. Shit happens, and plenty of it happens to the Oregon Football Ducks… now its your turn. Sorry Cowboy fan(s), but if you take Peterson out and your team folds in half, and even with him in there is little chance of “y’all” ending up within two touchdowns of Texas, let alone in a BCS bid.
That having been said, Sucka Mofo really caught the doozy here. Being called uneducated by fans of a school who’s TV spot ran: “Guess what? there’s more than just athletics at OU!” Still laughing that one off.
Dustin? Whatchew smokin’, boy? Texas by 40 over OU? Are you willing to put some money behind that?
You’d have to understand what Bedlam means here in Oklahoma for my comment to have the required impact, but here goes.
The University of Oklahoma Sooners football team was the victim of the worst officiating I’ve ever seen. The ABC TV commentators, who NEVER give OU a break, were in the booth hollering about the blatantly blown calls on the on-side kick and the pass “interference,” calling them “horrible” and asking if the reviewer was watching the same game. If the OU football team suffered a bit of shellshock after those calls and played poorly for the last minute when they should have been kneeling down and running out the clock, it’s somewhat understandable.
But consider this: With arguably the best quarterback around getting kicked off the team just before the season started and a former quarterback who had been moved to wide receiver taking over the helm at the last minute, OU went into the Ducks’ house and would have won the game had it not been for the officiating.
That said, GO COWBOYS!
Oklahoma would not have been a contender for the BCS anyway. After they lose to Texas by 40 they’ll be lucky to be in the top 25.
Because that’s NEVER happened to Oregon before. Ever.
bottom line is the whole nation saw it, no matter who you were rooting for, two blatenly horrible calls cost us a chance at a bcs game
I’ve watched the replay over and over. Sure, an Oregon player touched it first. No, you cannot tell if it went 10 yards from that angle. They are in the air strattling the yard line, IMHO.
And it appears that #15 for Oregon recovers and then looses the ball after the whistle blows … that’s when #23 from OU picks it up.
Blown call or correct call, it’s very difficult to see where it was touched on the replay. And the play was stopped before #23 OU picked it up so that arguement doesn’t fly.
The tipped ball on the pass interference was clearer, but may not have changed the outcome of the game because the OU secondary clearly sucks.
It’s over, so quit crying and move on. Won’t matter much if USC and Texas beat them later in the conference schedule.
Besides, I believe the two best teams in the country are in the Big 10 — Michigan and Ohio State (sorry Impartial Hawkeye).
Dan — yes, I’m a Duck :op
…and uneducated areas such as Oregon…
Uneducated? What, in comparison to Oklahoma? If you say so.
Oklahoma loses to Oregon with the help of prejudiced officiating calls. Not the crew, but 2 blatant calls that the whole college football world witnessed. That is the reason why Oklahoma teams must continue to blow out the competition they face because when they do travel to hostile, and uneducated areas such as Oregon, this home-cooked situation comes to life. Maybe when the DUCKS become a football mecca they will understand, but that will never happen. The Pacifist-10 Conference should apologize to the Big-12 again, and probably play only teams they match up with in talent. You know, Division 1-AA teams.
I live in the cornfields of central Iowa and hate the Big 12 AND the Pac 10 so I’d like to think I’m as impartial as anyone regarding the end of the game. It seems to me most of the previous opinions were obviously clouded by team loyalty.
Kudos to Ian for the original post and recognizing, even as a Duck fan, the Sooners were jobbed beyond belief. Officiating of that caliber is typically reserved for middle school or the Pop Warner ranks. The NCAA implemented video review for a reason – to prevent teams from being victimized by a call that maybe should have gone the other way. Perhaps now they need to look specifically at who is manning the video booth because the schmuck in Eugene yesterday was either blind, drunk or both.
I also agree with Ian that a win is a win, regardless of the amount of taint, but at the very least I’d like to see this video submitted to Indianapolis for review. God forbid this officiating crew has the opportunity to repeat themselves.
Are you guys talking about football or something?
Oh, so the refs were the ones that let the ducks come back from certain death! Ok! It wasn’t like the OU defense folded up in the last few minutes under pressure to allow the ducks to come back from a two-possession deficit with only minutes left to play. Hey, have you checked out the video of the REF blocking the field goal attempt with 2 seconds left to play?
Come on. We’ve all been shafted by bad calls, but those calls only make the game if you position yourself in such a way that your fate hangs on it. If OU had closed out the game like a #15 should have, of course they would have walked away with the win. But, alas, give a duck an inch, and they’ll take a mile.
Enjoy it duckies…Refs must have a Nike contract to uphold.
Neidermeyer…you’re a pud.
I doesnt matter that his hand touched it or not (which it didnt), Go to Oknews.com and you will see that #23 OU player came out with the ball anyway. You can have the tanted win, but we all know that OU was shafted 3 times in the last 60 seconds by the refs in a game they should have won. Also you can no hit a ball catcher within 10 yards of the kick and the Oregon player did that too. BAD BAD BAD OFFICIATING
I doesnt matter that his hand touched it or not (which it didnt), Go to Oknews.com and you will see that #23 OU player came out with the ball anyway. You can have the tanted win, but we all know that OU was shafted 3 times in the last 60 seconds by the refs in a game they should have won.
Wow Ted is this the newer harsher Niedermeyer. The Oregon Defense actually looked good and tackled well till Peterson raped us in the 4th. No shame in that as Peterson will probably be wearing out pro defenses the same way in couple years. As for the call am I the only one who thinks its possible that the Oklahoma Recievers hand reached out and touched the ball before Patsinger obviously ran into it.
Cry me a river. Try an annual BCS shafting, then bitch about some well deserved “lucky camera angles.” Besides, your guy can make 44 yarders right? Or did he block his own kick?
I am an Oklahoma student and I know when the game is close or not. Before the last couple of minutes the game was as good as a college game can get. Now the last minute… this was just idiotic. I rarely complain but this is the worst series of calls I have ever seen in my life. The system failed… and I honestly would like to see an apology from the Pac-10 officials.
There is a line between calling bad calls luck and calling them stupid… no matter which team you are cheering for. I’m 101% sure that its not hard to recognize how bad this was.
The game has been over for an hour and my heart has finally started beating again. What a crazy game.
Oh, and the officiating was fantastic… better get on message Spencer, or are you and Fouts both vipers clasped to the alma mater bosom?
Treason!