Ohio State Postgame Presser: Players, Part 2 Comment Count

Adam Schnepp

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[Eric Upchurch]

Mike McCray and Chris Wormley

Chris, what was your view of the spot?

“Looked like he was short, but I guess the refs saw something different. We have to play through those types of calls, that type of adversity.”

Through the first three quarters you guys kind of bottled them up. What did they do differently in the fourth quarter?

CW: “We were just playing lights-out the first three and a half quarters. They got some plays and they have good players. They go to Ohio State, they’ve got good players. If we made a few plays at the end the outcome probably would have been different, but I thought we played pretty well for most of the game.”

Chris, do you guys still believe that you’re a playoff team?

“I think so. They’re saying Wisconsin can do that if they win next week and we beat that team. So, there’s probably some things that have to go our way, some people that have to be on our side on the committee or however that works, but we’ve played good football all year. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and we’re excited for whatever happens.”

With the regular season ending, how do you guys view these last 12 games and the final result today?

CW: “I think you look back and we had a great run. This is the most fun I’ve ever had playing football, with Mike, the rest of the defense, the offense. I think you look back and you can see what you did poorly, did well, and build off of the things that you did well and take that into the bowl game and prepare for that as best you can.”

MM: “Like Chris said, had a great season throughout the regular season. Didn’t get the outcome that we wanted--to go to the Big Ten championship--but like he said before, you’ve got to get ready for the bowl game and see what we did right throughout the season, see what we did wrong, and improve on it.”

[Hit THE JUMP for more]

Jim was beyond upset about the two penalties for six yards [on OSU]. Was it really that cleanly played a game, do you think?

CW: “Coach Harbaugh’s an [?] kind of guy when it comes to that. He leaves it all and doesn’t show anything—he’s just an enthusiastic guy. But there were a few calls that I thought could go either way, but it didn’t go our way.”

Both of you guys, especially being from Ohio, despite the outcome, is this the type of game that you guys come here to play?

CW: “Yeah, this is what you got to Michigan for, this is what you go to Ohio State for, to play that team the last regular season game. This is the type of exciting game you look back on and talk about with friends and family and things like that. But we wish we could have gotten this one.”

Harbaugh was pretty animated when he came in here talking about the officiating. He said that was the message he shared with you in the locker room. What was that like? How did he present it to you guys?

MM: “You know, we didn’t get the call that we wanted. Coach Harbaugh has his opinions and we back him up on what he has to say, just like he backs us up.”

[Wormley holds up the mic as another reporter starts a question]

Chris, did you have something--

CW: “No, no. That was perfect.”

For either of you, it seemed like the whole game you guys had the lead and had Ohio State on the ropes a little bit. What was the mood like on the sidelines? Did you guys feel like that, especially in the last few minutes?

CW: “I think when you shut down an offense that is so—that has so many players that can make plays and you shut them down for most of the game, you have a ten-point lead, you feel pretty good about yourself. So yeah, we were feeling pretty good on the sidelines.”

When you were up 17-7 there was then an extended period the rest of regulation where you guys were on the field most of the game. Does fatigue start to play in there a little bit?

MM: “I don’t think so. We prepared for it in the offseason and it’s week 12, so I don’t think fatigue had anything to do with it.”

Chris, were they doing anything different in the run game with Barrett in the fourth quarter and overtime? He seemed to have a little bit more room. Did you notice anything different in what they presented to you guys?

CW: “No, they were running the same type of plays we prepared for all week. They hit a couple. It wasn’t like they were just driving. They had big plays, which we had to eliminate and didn’t.”

Do you guys feel like you’re one of the four best teams in the country?

CW: “Absolutely. If we would have won this game—a call here or there would have turned the game around in our favor, then you guys would have been saying we’re a playoff team and we’re a shoe-in. So, I think we are. I think we have the talent, I think we have the players, and I think we’ve proved ourselves all year that we’re a playoff contender. Hopefully people see that and put us in the playoff, the playoff hunt, I guess.”

You all said that you come to Michigan to play this game. How difficult is it to leave here again with a loss?

CW: “It sucks. You’re a fifth-year guy, you’ve never beaten Ohio State and you want this one as bad as possible, and when you don’t get that win it sucks. Yeah, just not a good feeling.”

MM: “Just like Chris said, it sucks. Probably won’t go home for a while until it calms down for a little bit. Yeah, that’s all I got to say.”

Comments

BklynGoBlue

November 29th, 2016 at 10:26 AM ^

this is what's so upsetting about the officiating...sucks for me as a fan but i really feel bad for the seniors that put so much effort and time into this season and not get the outcome they deserve...

1VaBlue1

November 29th, 2016 at 10:36 AM ^

The B1G makes a loud statement about sportsmanship when it craps on Harbaugh, but fails to look in the mirror.  Good sportsmanship from the league means providing a level playing field.  I don't know if the league went out of its way to slant the field, but the refusal to address the bias on display is poor sportsmanship at its worst.  I do feel the league just didn't QA the referee asignments, rather than intentionally set it up.  But I also feel that the league is letting it slide for the 'better' of the league itself - more money and national exposure at the expense of one team with a coach most don't like.

It's no secret that Delaney is no fan of Michigan.  But it is disgusting that he lets his personal bias get in the way of creating a fair competition for the players involved - none of whom (on either side) have ever had any personal involvment with him.  He is a disgrace to a once proud collegiate conference.

Kevin13

November 29th, 2016 at 11:00 AM ^

there was a bias when this crew was picked to work this game. But, it is obvious there was a bias during the game and the officiating was atrocious. It is a reflection on the entire conference and Delany should put something in place to ensure this never happens again.

It's pretty sad when the two best teams in the conference play the biggest game of the year and it is spoiled by crappy officials.

Have talked to many unbiased people who watched the game and had no rooting interest, other then to watch a good college game. Everyone of them has said they can't believe how one sided the officials were in that game and how Michigan was robbed. Even talked to a Sparty who admitted he wanted Michigan to loose, but said it was tragic how the refs tipped that game to OSU and actually said he felt bad for Michigan and how that turned out.

Tzak312

November 29th, 2016 at 11:26 AM ^

Are we getting to the point where we fail to acknowledge that we lost for a lot of reasons that were on the field? OSU missed 2 chip shots and gave us the ball on the 15 or so after a fake punt which was just a crazy call. We couldn't close out a game that we dominated for 3 quarters. Its on us more than it is OSU winning it or on the refs for a couple calls. It sucks and there were many calls that could of gone either way. I'm still not convinced that he got the first or that he didn't get the first...so how could the refs? The pic that OSU fans like is "doctored" and the pic that UM fans like if after forward progress. Everyone will find what is needed to support their arguement. 

I guess my point is, lets stop complaining and move forward. We are at the risk of being "that fan base" to the rest of the world. 

1VaBlue1

November 29th, 2016 at 11:45 AM ^

I don't think so...  Nobody is saying M played a perfect game - a little turtling in the 4th, some missed tackles, turnovers...  Nor should anyone focus on one call alone (the spot was close, and could have gone either way).  But despite all of that, the game was a 2-OT affair.  When you add officiating to the story, it's a minor miracle M even made it to OT!  That's the point of the complaining - call the game fairly and UM - MOST LIKELY - wins in regulation (maybe not, but most likely does).

Bad officiating usually sorts itself out and ends up with a somewhat even number of bad calls for both teams.  Maybe 1 or 2 more against one team, whatever.  That happens, that's part of it.  Not everything goes your way all the time.  But all of the of calls that stopped, crippled, or extended drives, went against Michigan.  Yes, some of that will happen with poor officiating.  But not all of them through an entire game of this magnitude.  I've never seen more one-sided officiating in 45 years of watching football.

I get swallowing the whistle and letting teams play, or calling everything.  But be consistant with it either way.  It was not consistant.

UMAmaizinBlue

November 29th, 2016 at 11:55 AM ^

Been paying attention, except to those who only talk the spot, or say the refs were the only reason we lost. Selective reading leads to this, but there are a group of fans who simply want to see something, ANYTHING, said to acknowledge there were mistakes and the crew will be reprimanded or something. 





I'm in that group, and I'm not calling for the game to be reversed or anythign like that. It just looks bad for the integrity of the sport. These kids play with everything they've got, and they aren't getting paid. To see a game this ugly that had things influence the game outside of the plays (all of them, the good and the bad) is upsetting to fans of the sport, especially because the real "victims" (for lack of a better term) are the players.





In summation - the issues with officiating aren't all sour grapes. There's a legit argument here that the refs were possibly biased, and the fact that nothing is being done except fine and reprimand Harbaugh is a sign of how the sport is moving towards something I don't want to watch.

NRK

November 29th, 2016 at 12:39 PM ^

[This isn't a new thread, so no Bolivia, right?]

I think what you're missing is this: You can still acknowledge all of that and still suggest that there was poor officiating.

Michigan didn't close the door, committed some crucial turnovers, got conservative in playcalling (on O and on D) in the 4th quarter, and couldn't get a sustained drive to grind out the clock. Those are all valid elements of the loss. And frankly Michigan should not have been in the place to let the officiating impact the game given how well I thought they played, especially in the first half.

But for some reason there's this unwritten rule that if you suggest the reffing was poor you are "whining" or a "sore loser" or "complaining." I've said this so many times the past few days it's driving me nuts: these are not mutually exclusive. Michigan can, and did make mistakes that contributed to its loss. But that does not mean that poor officiating didn't have an impact on the game.

Players are not immune from criticism, neither are the coaches. So are the other human element, refs, suddenly out of bounds? If I screw up at my job I get called out. College football refs aren't some holy grail of profession that should not be held accountable or subject to public scrutiny. Any notion otherwise (and there's A LOT of it in the media) is a completely self-imposed, arbitrary standard with no basis in reality.

 

I'm not as concerned with the spot - live I thought he was short, on replay I felt there was no clear angle to overturn the (poor) spot on the field, so I figured it was going to be upheld. I'm upset about the lopsided PI calls (I think the HIll was PI, but if that is then the Perry one clearly is too), but I'm also really concerned with the way that the Big 10 has responded to this.

 

There clearly were policies in place that at one point in time prevented conflicts of interest, including most pertinently, letting an avowed OSU fan ref The Game. Those policies, for whatever reason, were removed. The Big 10 should go above and beyond to avoid even the appearance of bias, instead they've stripped away the practices we're aware of that address it, as far as we can tell. And we can't tell much more because they're not responding to information or questions on it, which of course, fuels speculation. That is a huge problem and to me the biggest issue of all. UM called out a systemic issue with the Big 10, and got fined for identifying said issue without the underlying issue being addressed. Anywhere outside of college football/Big 10 that's torn apart as self-serving BS.

Honk if Ufer M…

December 1st, 2016 at 3:35 PM ^

NRK, 

Every word you wrote about how the refs affect the outcome apart from whatever the players did or didn't do, and questioning the refs, and the responses and reactions you get when you question the refs is completely true and I've known that and tried to make your argument for at least about 50 of my 55 years. Might've started younger than that.

The problem is that people don't think and people can't think and they've been conditioned to believe the crap they believe and just don't or aren't able to question what they've been taught through bad example masquerading as various types of good example.

mtzlblk

November 29th, 2016 at 2:22 PM ^

the bottom line to me is that if you take the same game, mistakes and all, with neutral referees, the outcome is decidely different. 

It wasn't just one call or one mistake they made, it was evident throughout the game. I'm not even pissed about "The Spot" as it was so close as to be an easily missed call. 

It was the clear bias in the PI calls, the absolute lack of any holding calls throughout the game...the blindside hit exactly in front of a ref who neglected to call anything....I mean, it is one thing to be biased in the game, but for fuck's sake, at least keep it safe. 

If you can look at that game and make the statement that the referees didn't change the outcome, good for you. I absolutely cannot make that statement. They changed the outcome, plain and simple.

Tzak312

November 29th, 2016 at 2:18 PM ^

This is what I'm talking about...you can find a hold on nearly every play. We failed to tackle a guy running around for 45 seconds and we point to the refs. We failed to pursue and wrap up. You don't win games this way.

Note - I'm a UM guy...just trying to take some ownership in the L. Seems like we've pushed all blame.

PSU had basically zero penalties against OSU and it didn't make national news. Let's move on

Tzak312

November 29th, 2016 at 2:18 PM ^

This is what I'm talking about...you can find a hold on nearly every play. We failed to tackle a guy running around for 45 seconds and we point to the refs. We failed to pursue and wrap up. You don't win games this way.

Note - I'm a UM guy...just trying to take some ownership in the L. Seems like we've pushed all blame.

PSU had basically zero penalties against OSU and it didn't make national news. Let's move on

Gucci Mane

November 29th, 2016 at 12:06 PM ^

We can not let the travesty of these refs fall off peoples minds. Remember to tell people about it, post on social media, call radio shows, tweet, anything ! Brian has sadly lost touch with the will of the masses and ordered the deletion of new posts on this. Don't let this issue go untill at least after the playoff has been officially selected.

To follow my own advice I called in to national CBS sports radio this morning. I brought up that one of the refs was an OSU. Lets follow our leader, Harbaugh, and get this done !

ole luther

November 29th, 2016 at 2:14 PM ^

I admit that this  blog has changed over the years and I appreciate all that Brian has done with it and all he has had to endure to perservere. That being said, I've been looking for someone to take this to the next level and was sadly surprised that our venting is now being dismissed. Those of you (Brian included) who think we should shut up and move on.....do me a favor and stay out of foxholes. I don't need you getting me killed because you're pussies and won't fight anytime you're wronged. I've had enough of that shit. We got screwed with video to prove it. 

Want to make it up to me?.......Put 3 officials with Michigan ties on the field next year and whatever happens, happens.

If you pussies don't want to hear the "whinning", then don't click on anything that remotely mentions "The Game".  Thought that was what this blog was for. To discuss, complain, admire, proclaim, vent, admonish, interigate, question, wonder and salute anything MICHIGAN......apparently, when fucked, we're supposed to rollover and smoke!

Shut it down. Shut the whole thing down if you don't have the balls for it......ALL of it. Not just the 60 point thumpings -vs- Rutgers!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Amaznbluedoc

November 29th, 2016 at 12:16 PM ^

Wormley is a stud and I wish him and the other seniors well as they move to the pros or on with their lives.  Thanks for giving your heart and soul to the Maize and Blue!