Incompetence Or Corruption?

[baldcat]

Sure, refs are human beings and mistakes will happen. Especially with the speed at which this game is played at this level

But folks, last night was the most blatantly obviousprotection of a BCS team by the officiating crew I've ever witnessed.

Brooks can afford the fine. Come on out at the weekly presser and call a spade a spade.

[johnkyblue]

As the two are not mutually exclusive items there should be a 'both' answer.

[Aike]

I have seen more blatantly obvious protection in the past. Lotta dollars at play here. Unfortunately, even the Kentucky's and Vandy's get their cut of the action, perhaps lending incentive for staying mum.

[Doug Hardin]

Every time there are bad calls people say it's "the worst I've ever seen."

I don't know if anything can top the 2001 UK-Tennessee game. Last night's game wasn't even close to that, and as bad as the officiating was, I don't think it changed the eventual outcome of the game.

[UK78ALUM]

Go talk to Oklahoma about the PAC 10. That is the only instance I can recall where a conference apologized for their idiot officials. Not that it made a bit of difference in OU's season, which is a crime!

Dave

[RV]

Can't say which. Would hope it's incompetence and not corruption.

After watching the game again, many of the calls (non calls) were against UK. The no call on the offsides was atrocious. Another bad call was when a holding was called on us when Tamme made the one handed catch for a 16 yard gain to near midfield and UK still down only 19-7 with 14 minutes to go in the fourth. I've watched this many times and there was no hold by our O-line - period.

There was holding to be called (and wasn't) on almost every Florida WR screen.

[sojourner]

I assume incompetence. Also a certain mind-set on the part of officials as to what they think should be happening.

Rmember how they hosed Vandy last year with that celebration penalty.

[MurphyLee]

RV wrote: Can't say which. Would hope it's incompetence and not corruption.

After watching the game again, many of the calls (non calls) were against UK. The no call on the offsides was atrocious. Another bad call was when a holding was called on us when Tamme made the one handed catch for a 16 yard gain to near midfield and UK still down only 19-7 with 14 minutes to go in the fourth. I've watched this many times and there was no hold by our O-line - period.

There was holding to be called (and wasn't) on almost every Florida WR screen.
Actually the call on the Tamme reception was a pick on Lyons Jr.not a hold.It may have technically been correct but it was very ticky tacky.Every team in America runs a play similar to that and it never gets called.

[Aike]

Two different plays. RV is talking about the one-handed grab by Tamme along the sideline.

MurphyLee wrote: RV wrote: Can't say which. Would hope it's incompetence and not corruption.

After watching the game again, many of the calls (non calls) were against UK. The no call on the offsides was atrocious. Another bad call was when a holding was called on us when Tamme made the one handed catch for a 16 yard gain to near midfield and UK still down only 19-7 with 14 minutes to go in the fourth. I've watched this many times and there was no hold by our O-line - period.

There was holding to be called (and wasn't) on almost every Florida WR screen.
Actually the call on the Tamme reception was a pick on Lyons Jr.not a hold.It may have technically been correct but it was very ticky tacky.Every team in America runs a play similar to that and it never gets called.

[johnkyblue]

MurphyLee wrote: Actually the call on the Tamme reception was a pick on Lyons Jr.not a hold.It may have technically been correct but it was very ticky tacky.Every team in America runs a play similar to that and it never gets called.
I remember when it was called last that I noticed....

UK at UGA.

[sardiscat]

Saturday night was just a run of the mill hosing by SEC standards, far from the worst UK has ever experienced. There have been plenty of games where officials cost UK the game. Saturday night, they didn't.

[Realist]

MurphyLee wrote: RV wrote: Can't say which. Would hope it's incompetence and not corruption.

After watching the game again, many of the calls (non calls) were against UK. The no call on the offsides was atrocious. Another bad call was when a holding was called on us when Tamme made the one handed catch for a 16 yard gain to near midfield and UK still down only 19-7 with 14 minutes to go in the fourth. I've watched this many times and there was no hold by our O-line - period.

There was holding to be called (and wasn't) on almost every Florida WR screen.
Actually the call on the Tamme reception was a pick on Lyons Jr.not a hold.It may have technically been correct but it was very ticky tacky.Every team in America runs a play similar to that and it never gets called.

Weren't there 2 calls on Tamme receptions. One was the 33 yard gain and the other was the 1 hand grab. On the long reception down the sideline the call was a pick on Lyons. On the 1 hand grab the call was holding. Of course I could be wrong......

[bleedblue79]

I have believed for years that there is no other explaination for the officiating than that they are protecting the teams that are highly rated. Costs the Conference a lot of money if "lowly" Kentucky upsets top 5 Florida.

I don't believe it is alwaysa conscious decision by the officials, just giving the team they percieve to be superior the benefit of the doubt. For example, in their minds they don't think Kentucky's offense should have been able to move the ball and get the recievers open so surely there must have been a hold or an illegal move on the Tamme reception. I have often heard it said by people who know more about football than myself that if you are looking for something to call you can find a penalty on almost every play, especially holding calls. Both the illegal pick and the holding calls on Tamme's receptions were very ticky tack calls IMHO.



GO BIG BLUE!!!

[EricBigNally]

bleedblue79 wrote: I have believed for years that there is no other explaination for the officiating than that they are protecting the teams that are highly rated. Costs the Conference a lot of money if "lowly" Kentucky upsets top 5 Florida.

I don't believe it is alwaysa conscious decision by the officials, just giving the team they percieve to be superior the benefit of the doubt. For example, in their minds they don't think Kentucky's offense should have been able to move the ball and get the recievers open so surely there must have been a hold or an illegal move on the Tamme reception. I have often heard it said by people who know more about football than myself that if you are looking for something to call you can find a penalty on almost every play, especially holding calls. Both the illegal pick and the holding calls on Tamme's receptions were very ticky tack calls IMHO.



GO BIG BLUE!!!



That sounds identical to a quotea friend of my dad who is a state trooper always says. It is something to the effect of "you can't go a single mile without doing something that you could be pulled over for if the police really wants to pull you over."

While officiating was bad, I'll be honest and admit that we were outmatched in the second half. We needed a huge stand and take the lead to halftime but we didn't get it. I was impressed with the will and determination UK had in the first half that was overshadowed later in the second half. If we play the whole game like we did in the first with out those calls (and the mistakes we brought on ourselves like the personal fouls) we can show that we can hang with the big boys better then everyone thought. There is still a lot of work to do, but they are getting there.

[CatsSaintsFan]

I've never been a big "conspiracy" guy. However, with all the money involved in the BCS. I just can't help but think if Florida was't #5 in the country that those calls are corrected or made fairly.

We get those calls against any SEC team not ranked in the top 25 but we can't have our top 10 undefeated SEC teams losing.

The crappy call that went against LSU vs. Auburn is another example. LSU has a harder road to stay unbeaten than Auburn. Might as well give the more likely team to go undefeated the call.

[lighthouse]

I agree that the officials missed calls Saturday night, but the call on Lyon's pick was correct. All teams run the pick in one form or another, but what made this one different was, Lyons actually brought his hands up and contacted the DB in a blocking position. I hope he learned a lesson that will pay dividends later on.

[poodoo]

sojourner wrote: I assume incompetence. Also a certain mind-set on the part of officials as to what they think should be happening.

Rmember how they hosed Vandy last year with that celebration penalty.


That's basically what Coach Brooks said last night, sojourner. He said that he does not think the officials are CONSCIOUSLY going against Kentucky in the calls, but that it is an unconscious leaning to what the officials think SHOULD be happening. He went on to say that when a Florida receiver is open, then they sort of assume that he was just better, but if it happens for UK, they sometimes assume we did something illegal for it to happen (and I think he may have been referring to a Tamme catch). As someone else posted, those top tier teams seem to get the benefit of the doubt more often. Coach Brooks said he experienced the same thing at Oregon before Oregon became a respected football program.

The miss on the offsides was the one that I really thought was atrocious (using RV's words). If there was no hold when Tamme made that fourth quarter catch, then that is indeed also a very legitimate concern.

Regardless, as Doug Hardin said, nothing comes close to the UK/UT game several years agofor phantom call after phantom call against UK, many of which were so close to our seats and view (even though, yes, there wasONE missed call that went in our favor). I will never forget that game. This game's outcome was not caused by officiating, BUT it would have been closer if it had been better officiated, in my humble opinion.

[I. Melvin]

Everyone always says that the officiating didn't determine the outcome of the game.

Maybe, yes - maybe, no.

Who knows if they call the offsides and we get a first down that the momentum the Cats were building wouldn't have resulted in a touchdown? And, if that happens, who knows from there?

Point is that each act carries with it an exponential range of reactions which can lead to further innumerable consequences.

Which is why they need to peel me off the ceiling every time we get rump-ranged by the band of thieves known as SEC Football officials.

It's long past time for our AD and Football Coaching Staff to make this a public issue - to the point of threatening to join the Big 10 - to get it resolved.

[poodoo]

I. Melvin wrote: Everyone always says that the officiating didn't determine the outcome of the game.

Maybe, yes - maybe, no.

Who knows if they call the offsides and we get a first down that the momentum the Cats were building wouldn't have resulted in a touchdown? And, if that happens, who knows from there?






You know, I. Melvin, ironically, I was thinking of that very play this morning and thinking the same thing. Of course, then again, I'm always guilty of playing that old IFFEN game to which Coach Claiborne would refer. :D

Too, while Iagreed with Dougthat the officiating didNOT determine the outcome of the game (and felt, in contrast, that it probably did affect the outcome in that UK/UT game years ago), we can never KNOW what would have happened if a call or so had gone differently. Players are human, and they can react to adversity in strange ways. Too, MOMENTUM plays such an important role in games. IF that one simple penalty had been called and we had continued to drive with the ball as we had been doing in that first half, we well COULD have been leading 14-6 at halftime.

You are right. We cannot KNOW what would have happened. I happen to doubt that we would have won the game (as Florida has so much talent and was playing at home). However, you are right that we cannot KNOW what would have happened from that point.

By the way, are you feeling just a LITTLE different than how you felt at halftime of the Louisville game? :DGO CATS!

[I. Melvin]

Yes, ma'am, I am.

You may have noticed through the years that I do not react well to losing to UofL. ;)

Still miles to go and stubbing our toe this Saturday would pretty much end our bowl hopes, but I'm proud of the team and especially proud of Andre. He hung in there pretty well in the face of that fierce rush.

Last year, he would have been watching the rush. Didn't see that Saturday night.

Like what I see from Joker, too.

Defense should be better - this would be a good week to step up.

Coach Brooks actually got some respect from the announcing team, which can only help in our recruiting efforts.

Got to keep getting better - but I salute the discernable progress.

[Blue4ever]

Have you ever tried to officiate a game at any level? Couple of years ago Iofficiated 5th grade football games for my son's team (they were glorified scrimmages to let the 5th graders get playing time - nothing official). Believe me it's tougher than it looks. I caught more #ell from my wife than the coaches. :shock: My son hadn't scored a TD all year. His teamgets down on the goal line with just seconds in the game to go and he gets the ball. He gets tackled and lands with his head and shoulder over the goal line but the ball didn't break thegoal line. I callhim down and thehorn goes off. The other team is jumping up and down (we won) and I caught more grief from our own parents. My wife and son kid were spitting mad. I said what's fair is fair.

My biggest gripes with officiating (at any level) are holding calls and roughing the QB. Way too discretionary. Especially, since Olinemen can extend their hands.

I have a buddy who officiated high school games and he said that they had an olderhead official who would threaten to take yourflagaway if you called too many penalties. :lol:

[lighthouse]

I've been there many times, Blue4ever.:D

And there are a few of those hardheaded officials that are always looking at the clock, wishing it would hurry up and run out so they can get their check. It's a shame, but they could care less about the kids playing the game.

[RedandBlackATTACK]

If there is no doubt that either by design or accident an officiating crew is totally unbiased, I don't believe AthleticDirectors/Coaches would negotiate what crew works out of conference matchups. As one example, the UL/UK game regardless of where it is being played, contractually obligates a Big 10 crew.

I believe that by itself is indicative that even at the level of Athletic Director, there is a belief (true or not ?) that a crew may be tainted.

In closing, as others have stated, I don't believe any crew intentionally "favors" a particular team. However, I certainly believe that many factors influence the calls made on the field, intentional or not, the result is the same.

Rick

C-Bus

[poodoo]

RedandBlackATTACK wrote:

In closing, as others have stated, I don't believe any crew intentionally "favors" a particular team. However, I certainly believe that many factors influence the calls made on the field, intentional or not, the result is the same.

Rick

C-Bus




Well-said, R&B.

Also, I agree with the poster who has actually officiated football games (Blue4ever), who finds holding calls (or lack thereof) particularly bothersome. I so agree.I just rememberCoach Curry's once saying on the radio that holding COULD becalled on every playof a football game. Well, then, as Blue4ever just said, that makes the calltoo "discretionary" and is certainly how a game came be impactedand go largelyunnoticed by observers of the game.

In that regard, I'm curious. Did anyone ever actually find the "hold" reportedly committed by UK that brought back Tamme's nice one-handed catch (in the fourth quarter while the score was 19-7, if I'm not mistaken)? That call was discussed here. I just wonder if the coaching staff found it on their tape of the game.

[poodoo]

I. Melvin wrote: Yes, ma'am, I am.

You may have noticed through the years that I do not react well to losing to UofL. ;)

Still miles to go and stubbing our toe this Saturday would pretty much end our bowl hopes, but I'm proud of the team and especially proud of Andre. He hung in there pretty well in the face of that fierce rush.

Last year, he would have been watching the rush. Didn't see that Saturday night.

Like what I see from Joker, too.

Defense should be better - this would be a good week to step up.

Coach Brooks actually got some respect from the announcing team, which can only help in our recruiting efforts.

Got to keep getting better - but I salute the discernable progress.



Thanks for the response, I. Melvin. :)Too, I had thought so. :)

Also, you are so right. We must KEEP GETTING BETTER. I so badly want these guys to GO BOWLING! :)