Officials Call 'Harbaugh Technical' on NW Coach Pat Fitzgerald
(Please excuse another officiating thread but I thought this was interesting and relevant). In the second half of the Iowa-Northwestern game last night, officials called an unsportsmanlike conduct, what I call the 'Harbaugh Technical', on Pat Fitzgerald for objecting to a PI no-call in the endzone. Here's a link: FOX College Football on Twitter: "Northwestern's coach Pat Fitzgerald received a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct for this reaction https://t.co/rTZtoagz0u" / Twitter
This is the only other time I've seen a coach get called for this. Harbaugh was the first and assumed he would be the last. This was a key play on 3rd down when NW was launching a comeback and moving the ball. It looked like Northwestern's TE was held on the play (but because it was Fox we didn't really get a good replay and we only got the above review of the UC flag). Fitzgerald didn't even throw his play card on the field ( probably because it appeared to be attached to his belt!). I saw one explanation that the call was made because he was on the field? In any event, the penalty pushed the Wildcats back, making a 4th down try too risky and they opted for a FG.
This drive started at NW's 1-yd line because officials called a completely phantom fair catch on NW's return man on a kickoff. It was completely bizarre. They just whistled the play dead and said the NW player had signaled for a fair catch when he hadn't. Fitzgerald was irate and lit into them.
Has anyone else ever seen this called on a coach other than Harbaugh? Just another shameful incident of staggering incompetence by B1G officials! Big Ten!
November 7th, 2021 at 10:14 AM ^
For the record I live in Iowa and my girlfriend and I were switching back and forth between the Michigan and Iowa games.
I was so astonished when I saw it that I almost posted it in real time but thought I should wait until the Michigan game was over. And I was rooting for Iowa!
It just seemed so unprofessional to me. And if it was some kind of retaliation for Fitzgerald chewing them out for their previous boneheaded incompetence earlier in the drive, that strikes me as extremely petty. Get the full-time refs in here now.
November 7th, 2021 at 10:18 AM ^
So long as people continue to watch and money continues to flow the NCAA/Conferences wont give a rats ass. I dont watch that much football anymore for that reason, but hey, plenty of masochists out there
November 7th, 2021 at 12:10 PM ^
Maybe... I don't know though. This such a popular take for so many ills in College Football (as well as other places). Essentially, don't watch the games or buy tickets to the games and the powers of CFB and Broadcast networks will finally get together and decide to leave millions of dollars of advertising money on the table or will correctly read the tea leaves of fan boycotts and hire those refs or do whatever other thing the disgruntled poster is disgruntled about.
I'm pretty skeptical that is how this works. How many games, how little attention and revenue would be needed? How do you get hundreds of thousands (or millions depending on how the game is broadcast) of people to agree to not do that thing they love doing (attend/watch games) and at what cost to the team they love would need to be endured before the networks and the conference leaders would cry out for mercy? Hard to say, I'm sure, but whatever it is, it isn't going to happen.
Let's please stop perpetuating this stupid take that essentially blames the fans for supporting their team and being interested.
November 7th, 2021 at 10:25 AM ^
Bo was called for this in his final game (1990 Rose Bowl). We ran a fake punt for a first down but it came back on a very cheap holding call. Bo was displeased and got "T'd up."
November 7th, 2021 at 11:12 AM ^
Was there for that and remember it vividly and not fondly. Nullified what might have been Bo's greatest play call ever. Read later the officials supposedly joked about it afterwards. Felt like an official heist though sitting in the end zone, I could really not tell.
November 7th, 2021 at 11:35 AM ^
One doesn't need to resort to grand conspiracy theories about organized plans of officials fixing games to recognize that individual officials aren't above favoring coaches, or teams, they like and/or disfavoring those they don't like. The PAC-10 official who screwed Bo on that call in the Rose Bowl was displaying his bias against Schembechler, and basically admitted it later after he retired.
And then there's this:
November 7th, 2021 at 12:05 PM ^
Same Mike Weber that got away with poking an opponent in the eyes through their facemask (even 11W was stunned he didn't get flagged).
I don't usually wish ill-will on players, but he's a punk and I'm glad he never stuck in the NFL.
November 7th, 2021 at 8:25 PM ^
"Can't wait to see you at the Red Roof Inn later."
November 7th, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
was there, too, with greg robinson's (YTGR) family. they pointed out that ref that ended up throwing that flag before the game and told me "he's a USC [expletive]". they were prophetic as greg had been at UCLA at that time and had prior dealings with that ref.
November 7th, 2021 at 8:21 PM ^
I was there sitting in the end zone with you and yes, it was a heist. And the officials admitted as much years later. It was one of my worst melt downs as a Michigan Fan, still ashamed to this day. Forever changed the way I react to this stuff. Go Blue!!
November 7th, 2021 at 10:26 AM ^
If he waived for a fair catch on a kickoff the ball goes to the 25.
November 7th, 2021 at 10:52 AM ^
Right - though I think they gave Northwestern a penalty for waving for a fair catch and then returning the ball. The penalty pinned them inside the 5.
November 7th, 2021 at 10:30 AM ^
I'm pretty sure Scot Loeffler got thrown out of a game last week for back to back Harbaugh technicals, if I'm not mistaken. Though, Pat is high on my list of coaches likely to receive one of these calls.
November 7th, 2021 at 10:35 AM ^
Mark Stoops got one too last night, vs. Tennessee for a missed facemask on Levis on third down on their last drive, down 3.
In typical UK fashion, they converted the ensuing 4th and 24 but still ended up losing.
November 7th, 2021 at 10:37 AM ^
I saw that. The refs absolutely blew that facemask call and Stoops was completely justified in being upset - so of course they punished him, too.
November 7th, 2021 at 10:48 AM ^
This is all so one sided just like basketball games. Refs and the league have no accountability. Basically, refs can do whatever the fuck they want and will continue to be refs. Sounds just like NBA. As long as money is there, nobody gives a shit. ADs have to stand up and do something. But they won't. Bunch of bureaucrats who tote the party line.
November 7th, 2021 at 11:42 AM ^
Until refs actually start getting fined after the fact for blatantly bad calls, suspended for repeated infractions, or until you make them face the press after the game, nothing is going to change.
November 7th, 2021 at 1:31 PM ^
I think the refs get paid too little to be fined or suspended. But there DOES need to be some kind of accountability.
November 7th, 2021 at 12:14 PM ^
In theory, you are right. In practice, it's much worse in football.
Basketball is a marathon with dozens of scoring plays every game. There are obviously big missed calls (like Trey's block), but it's very rare that you can unmistakably attribute a win or loss to the refs.
In football, on the other hand, every possession is a big deal and every score is an even bigger deal. If the refs screw you out of points on one drive, you never really get an opportunity to earn those points back....you more need to overcome the screw-job.
The fewer pivotal moments in a sport, the more opportunities for it to become a ref-show. And that's multiplied several times over in football where you have 22 players on the field and you could probably call a penalty on every single play.
November 7th, 2021 at 1:32 PM ^
you can unmistakably attribute a win or loss to the refs.
I wouldn't say you can attribute a win or loss to the refs, necessarily. But someone (Brian maybe?) made a great point when they said, "The officiating was a significant part of the game's narrative." And you generally want to shoot for that to NOT be the case.
November 7th, 2021 at 11:00 AM ^
Make. Refs. Full. Time.
November 7th, 2021 at 11:01 AM ^
Pat Fitzgerald is pretty high up on the "coaches most likely to have a histrionic fit on the sideline" which makes it pretty funny when their fans badmouth Jim Harbaugh for similar behavior. FWIW I'd put Harbaugh near the top as well during his first couple seasons but much less so since then.
November 7th, 2021 at 11:03 AM ^
*Edit: HP said the same thing about Stoops earlier in the thread.
November 7th, 2021 at 11:10 AM ^
Just my opinion, ridiculous for officials to lean and penalize that reaction shown on twitter if that is all there was.
November 7th, 2021 at 1:17 PM ^
Yeah, that's the thing, it's hard to know the context from a 9 second video. Immediately after this he could walked past a ref and said "You guys are fucking terrible" without anyone noticing it and that would be an earned UC flag.
But I didn't watch the game. If a ref gives Pat Fitzgerald a UC flag, I'm prob gonna trust the ref. His histrionics are tiresome and unnecessary.
November 7th, 2021 at 11:37 AM ^
If Schembechler was on the sidelines today he'd be getting Harbaugh technicals several times per game.
November 7th, 2021 at 11:42 AM ^
Bo? I'd like to see what refs nowadays would have done with Woody Hayes.
November 7th, 2021 at 1:24 PM ^
As bad as his sideline punch of Charlie Bauman was, Woody's meltdown after Darden's interception to seal our victory in 1971 was every bit as off-the-charts.
November 7th, 2021 at 1:38 PM ^
"Dr. Strange Hayes" attacked the sideline marker, IIRC. Hard to believe that was 50 years ago this month.
November 7th, 2021 at 11:43 AM ^
I have played. I have coached. I have officiated. At the college level.
The problem is that, here, there are no practical solutions. I truly do not understand how you can have 7 officials and not call this game very well. And, contrary to popular belief, officiating is not that difficult-if you have played and have at least a bit above average understanding of athletic competition. There is room for minor disputes. There simply should not be blatant violations that get missed or called incorrectly. Like I say, I simply do not understand how such egregious errors continue to happen.
Do we need to have 11 officials for this game???
November 7th, 2021 at 3:35 PM ^
I think the key is outright eliminating tons of penalties, narrowing the scope of what constitutes specific penalties that remain, and simplifying the game to make for more black and white officiating.
November 7th, 2021 at 12:36 PM ^
B1G officials comin' for you...
November 7th, 2021 at 12:46 PM ^
I didn't notice. So...who got lucky and drew the turd of all officiating, the O'Neill officiating crew yesterday?
November 7th, 2021 at 1:32 PM ^
O'Neil always makes me think of the dirty cop that worked for the Tattaglia Family in The Godfather.
I can almost hear him saying "I thought I had all you Wolverine hoods locked up!"
November 7th, 2021 at 1:39 PM ^
... also he looks like a penis wearing a white hat.
November 7th, 2021 at 10:17 PM ^
He reminds me of Palpatine. Or that guy in Shawshank who listens to Hank Williams
November 7th, 2021 at 1:10 PM ^
How does a fair catch on a kickoff get spotted on the one?! The rule is a fair catch goes to the 25 no matter where it's caught. Did the poster mean a fair catch on a punt? Or did the officials also screw up the rule on kickoffs?
November 7th, 2021 at 10:12 PM ^
They called a penalty for running back the kickoff after a fair catch signal, pinning them inside the 5
November 7th, 2021 at 10:28 PM ^
Still kind of surprised that Campbell didn't flip out and get a 15 yarded with the "worst call in history" BS celebration call a few weeks back when the guy simply peeked back to see if he was being followed.
The only way you will "fix" this BS behavior is to suspend staffs like the blown call where, I believe CMU bet Ok State when the game should have ended on an intentional grounding call.
Get where refs are WARY of throwing a flag for questionable crap like this.
p.s. I did like Sat night where JH clearly was pissed that an intentional grounding call wasn't called near the end of the 3Q. He called over the refs and had his time to event but kept his composure while making his point. That was in my EZ and looked clearly like grounding.
p.p.s. I could go on with MLB umps who like to toss players and managers for BS things but it's too late and I need another beer!