But I did not see this many missed calls during the season. Why in the bowl games? Especially the poor reviews.
I think it's easy to complain about refs when we're at home on the couch drinking a cold one and get to watch replays over and over. Refs don't have that luxury. They see everything in real time and have to make split second calls and that's not easy. I would encourage anyone who has the opportunity to go watch the game from the sidelines and you will quickly change some of your opinions. Many years ago, my job required me to spend a lot of time on the sidelines and there are two things that quickly catch everyone's attention - the players are freaking HUGE and you better have your head on a swivel because things happen quickly and you can easily get plowed over. I've never been a ref, but I've been on enough sidelines to realize that's not an easy job.
But I sat on my couch and drank my cold ones all season long and the officiating was not that bad. I watched a lot of games this season and the bowl game refs were just bad. And that is counter intuitive because the better refs should get the bowl games. Seems like they had it out for the SEC at times.
Bowls use other conferences officials. Unfamiliar teams and unfamiliar stadiums, coaching staffs, styles of play,etc. Not making excuses because they did suck. Replay kept some of it in line but not all of it.
I question in the Tulane -USC game on that last touchdown call. The ball never touched the ground and the official was within 3 feet.
Video replay worked like its supposed to in that case. Also think they got the no target decision correct a couple of plays earlier. Scary looking helmet-to-helmet collision, but wasn't intentional.
If you don't mind me asking, what did you do on the CFB sidelines? I ask because from 1972 - 1978 I was assigned to the Air Force Academy & had a job in the Athletic Dept. Prior to the start of the '72 season I was approached & told they had an opening on the chain gang & wanted to know if I was interested? I said of course & was hired on the spot. We worked the Falcon's final tune up scrimmage the week before the opener against Wyoming. No problems in the game situation scrimmage. The same can't be said for the season opener. The Cowboys ran a wide sweep to our side. I wasn't playing attention. I got my clock cleaned. The Head Trainer told me the reason I wasn't seriously injured is that I wasn't focused on what was happening on the field and didn't see the oncoming rusher and was about as relaxed as I could be given the circumstances. That never happened again. Came close a couple of times, but I saw the runner/receiver and was able to get out of the way.
Cool. Did you ever hear anything about the 1970 Air Force - Navy game in RFK? AF had an All American receiver, Ernie Jennings, if I remember, and crushed Navy. But, Navy pulled off the greatest football prank of all time. During pre-game a huge, black limo came on the field. It drove past the Navy section, circled the stadium, and stopped in front of the Air Force Cadets. Bands struck up "Ruffles and Flourishes, then Hail to the Chief. This was obviously unexpected, but the entire AF contingent rose and saluted. As that was happening, the doors of the limo flew open and the Navy Goat, Bill, and the Navy cheerleaders piled out. Of course the Navy side went berserk. If I remember, that was about our first and only cheer of the game! As an aside, the busses to take us back to Annapolis loaded up around midnight on The Mall. People were insanely drunk. Uniforms were all over the ground, looked like a post Civil War battleground. On the bus ride back puke was awash in the aisle of the bus. Beyond gross. Turns out lots of bad post game incidents. We received a thirty minute ass chewing Sunday evening, and the entire brigade was restricted for several weeks.
I don't want to say exactly what my job was, simply because of the nature of social media. I will say I spent many, many nights on high school and college sidelines. The head trainer is correct about being relaxed, but I always had my head on a swivel because I was once standing on the sidelines and a photographer near me absolutely got trucked. He wanted to get "that shot" and he got more than he bargained for. His camera was a little damaged, but he was injured to the point that he was bleeding badly and needed to seek medical attention. From that point on, I was always the first person to get out of the way!
I don't understand your reluctance to discuss "because of the nature of social media." What were you? A ball boy?
