Well, once again, Bill Callahan seems to have gotten himself into hot water against Oklahoma. After the Sooners final touchdown, ABC's camera showed Callahan making an apparant throat slash towards the officiating crew. However, that might not have been Callahan's intent there; theoretically he might have been demonstrating how his player was being held by his jersey. Which is it? Who's to say at this point. The replay I saw last night sure looked like a throat slash, but the
animated GIF I found on a Sooner web site isn't so clear. (It's also rather small...)
Callahan did not directly comment on the officiating, as he knew that any comment would violate Big XII rules. However, the manner that he answered the question made it clear he was extremely displeased with the officiating. Jay Norvell may have inadvertantly violated that rule on Pinnacle's "Coaches Wrapup" postgame show. During a commercial break, Pinnacle accidentally left the microphone on, and Norvell was heard to say "f*****g refs" and "d*** Texas refs".
But let's face it, the refs were pretty balanced on their calls. The World-Herald caught Nebraska center Kurt Mann facemasking OU's Zach Latimer. Let's face it, Nebraska only got flagged 5 times against Oklahoma. That's one of their lowest totals of the year, matching the count from the Baylor game - which was officiated by the same crew.
Well, once again, Bill Callahan seems to have gotten himself into hot water against Oklahoma. After the Sooners final touchdown, ABC's camera showed Callahan making an apparant throat slash towards the officiating crew. However, that might not have been Callahan's intent there; theoretically he might have been demonstrating how his player was being held by his jersey. Which is it? Who's to say at this point. The replay I saw last night sure looked like a throat slash, but the animated GIF I found on a Sooner web site isn't so clear. (It's also rather small...)
3 comments:
^-What a load of rubbish.
Mike, I hate the Huskers but once again you're absolutely spot on. Nebraska didn't get snowed in that game, and they haven't at any point this season. Save for Brad Smith and Adrian Peterson, they've been beating themselves.
(this is rightdowndodgestreet, btw, not Rick)
Matty's right (*GASP*)...they kicked themselves in the ass about 20 times on Saturday...officials don't win or lose games...Zac 'Morris' Taylor overthrowing receivers ane being flushed out of the pocket on nearly every play loses games...
I admit that I think Steve Pederson made a unnecessary mistake 2 years ago. I admit that I have grown more and more disappointed in Bill Callahan over the last 14 months.
There are two issues with the Callahan/Usechek issue. One is the lack of holding calls being called. Callahan has every right to scream and yell at the officials, and to make that criticism known through official channels. I am not criticising Callahan here; it's a good thing he's standing up for his players.
On that play, should there have been a holding call? The replays I've seen suggest yes. Former Husker lineman Dr. Rob Zatechka said last night probably not. Not only is Zatechka smarter than me (medical doctor), but he's probably forgotten more about football than I know. So, barring other experts, I'm erring on the side of the ref.
I also think this crew was balanced. They didn't call holding on either team, and with 9 sacks given up, you had to figure that the Huskers were holding at some point and time. At best, they were lenient. At worst, they were bad. But they were balanced bad.
The second issue is how Callahan responded. I have no problem with Callahan yelling at Usechek. If Callahan's actions were to demonstrate the holding that is going on, I have no problem with that either.
But, if Callahan's finger is straight out indicating a neck slash, that is completely inappropriate. Punching him would be even more inappropriate, and would warrant criminal assault charges. I understand the frustration, but action such as this are completely inappropriate.
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