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It’s starting to get a little wacky in college football — and it’s not even Halloween yet.
Saturday, during the early games of Week 8, we had a band get warned by an official, a coach with a whistle on the sideline and a chain-gang crew having to go to a "backup"’ set of chains.
Like I said, some strange occurrences.
In Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, the FX Game of the Week, the Missouri band received a warning and the chain-gang crew on the sideline needed to go to their backup equipment when their chain broke.
And in the Iowa-Purdue game, I’m not sure if Boilermakers coach Danny Hope was trying to get a jump on Halloween by wearing a referee’s whistle, but there was a sideline television shot after a Purdue punt in the third quarter in which Hope could be seen putting a whistle to his mouth.
That’s not something I’ve personally seen before, but I’ve since heard it’s not the first time Hope and others have done such a thing. Apparently former Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen used to do the same thing.
The only thing missing Saturday was a mascot getting called for a penalty.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the more interesting plays . . .
THE GAME: Oklahoma State at Missouri
THE SITUATION: Oklahoma State had the ball, third-and-22 at the Missouri 35-yard line with 11:04 left in the first quarter. There was no score.
THE PLAY: Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle rushed for 18 yards to the Missouri 17-yard line and fumbled the ball, which was picked up by another Oklahoma State player and advanced for a first down. After an official's review, it was ruled that Randle’s knee was down at the 17, bringing up a fourth down at the 4-yard line. Oklahoma State then attempted a 34-yard field goal but missed it.
MY TAKE: I got some questions wondering why it took the officials so long to overturn the ruling on the field. It is clear the runner was down before the ball came out, but here is what wasn’t clear. Any time an on-field ruling is going to be reversed, the replay official must identify where they are going to reset the ball and also must address the status of the clock. When he does get that information, he must relay it to the referee, who is communicating with him on the headset. The referee then writes down the information because, in all honesty, he might forget by the time he makes the announcement and then goes to reset the ball. That’s what happened on this play when they had to replace the ball at the 17 and reset the clock to 11:04. It’s never as simple as it seems. It was a good job by referee Randy Crystal and his replay official.
THE GAME: Illinois at Purdue
THE SITUATION: Purdue had the ball, fourth-and-2 from the Purdue 16-yard line with 10:31 left in the third quarter. Purdue led 21-0.
THE PLAY: Purdue’s Cody Webster punted the ball 49 yards, downed at the Illini 35-yard line.
MY TAKE: I single this out not because of anything that happened on the play but because of what occured on the sideline. During a sideline television shot, Purdue coach Danny Hope was seen putting a whistle to his mouth. Rule 1, Section 4, Article 11E of the NCAA rule book states that "no one in the team area or coaching box may use any artificial sound amplification to communicate with players on the field." I have always thought this pertained to the use of a bullhorn or even a megaphone to communicate with players. I never thought of a whistle, but clearly this would be covered by the rule, as well. I guess it’s all right to have one, but you certainly can’t use it. If you do, I would imagine the coach would be penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, although the rule book does not assign a specific penalty to the act. In the NCAA rule book, there is a provision for unfair acts. It states that an obviously unfair act, not specifically covered by the rules, may be penalized by the referee, who can award anything he feels equitable, including a score.
THE GAME: Oklahoma State at Missouri
THE SITUATION: Oklahoma State had the ball, first-and-10 at the Missouri at the 13-yard line with 15 minutes left in the second quarter. Oklahoma State led 14-0.
THE PLAY: It was the first play of the second quarter, and before the play, the referee warned the Missouri band, situated in the end zone, not to play while the Cowboys offense was trying to call its signals. Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden then hit Joseph Randle for a 13-yard touchdown.
MY TAKE: Most people don’t know that bands are subject to the rules. Fans aren’t, but bands are. They are not allowed to interfere with their opponent’s ability to call plays or hear signals. You want to know who else is subject to the rules? Rule 1, Section 1, Article 6 of the NCAA rule book identifies this group and it includes "everyone in the team area (which in college is 25-yard line to 25-yard line), players, substitutes, replaced players, coaches, athletic trainers, cheerleaders, band members, mascots, public address announcers, audio and video system operators and other persons affiliated with the teams or institutions." Can you imagine penalizing a cheerleader 15 yards? It could happen.
THE GAME: Arkansas at Mississippi
THE SITUATION: Arkansas had the ball, second-and-goal at the Mississippi 4-yard line with 4:20 left in the third quarter. The score was tied 17-17.
THE PLAY: Arkansas running back Broderick Green carried the ball 4 yards for what was ruled a touchdown on the field. After a review, the play was reversed and the ball was placed at the 6-inch line.
MY TAKE: Replay is replay, I guess, but I do continue to be concerned that too many plays are being reversed, both in the NCAA and the NFL, without indisputable visual evidence. In this case, I think the runner was down short. But without a down-the-line camera shot showing precisely where the ball was when Green’s knee touched down, I don’t see how you can put the ball on the 6-inch line. I saw four different replays, showing four different angles, but none of them convinced me "beyond all doubt" — which is what the rule book says — that the runner was short. The further I get away from officiating, the more I become concerned on both levels that rulings are being reversed without indisputable evidence.
THE GAME: Indiana at Iowa
THE SITUATION: Indiana had the ball, fourth-and-6 at the Iowa 21-yard line with 11:06 left in the third quarter. Iowa led 35-14.
THE PLAY: Indiana quarterback Tre Roberson completed a 7-yard pass to Shane Wynn to the Iowa 7-yard line. A personal foul penalty was called on Iowa’s Shaun Prater.
MY TAKE: I have said this before and I will say it again: There are people who disagree with this call, but it is the job of the officials to protect against any type of targeting high hits on any player, whether they are defenseless or not. Times have changed, players have changed, the game has changed. The game is more dangerous than it used to be, as players have become bigger, faster and better equipped. Head injuries have become the knee injuries of the past. The emphasis is clearly on trying to lessen the chance of a concussion. The long-term effects of concussions have proved to be startling. The NCAA has done a good job in addressing this issue and the officials are following the edict and will continue to flag plays like this.
