Worst Calls Ever to go For Michigan
February 26th, 2015 at 9:11 AM ^
The offside call on the on-side kick against Penn St this year was pretty brutal. Then again....HAHAHAHAHAHA
February 26th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^
It's not something that's usually called, but it was the correct call.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:05 AM ^
The VA Tech call was the correct call...it just wasn't conclusive enough to overturn with replay. But they got it right.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^
that by the letter of the law, it was not a catch. But I will have to say that in the era of replays that they have available to them right now, the definition of what constitutes a "catch" has become ridiculously strict and over analyzed.
To me, what you are looking at above is a catch, period. As was Calvin Johnson's, as was Dez Bryant's. Take out all of the contemporary insanity of the "science" of catching a football and turn the clock back to 1995. Is what you are looking at a completed pass? I strongly believe that it is.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:32 AM ^
Dumb rule or no, it was the correct call. So while I think that SHOULD count as a catch in any rational world, the refs got it right.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^
I was sitting in the band while this happened, saying the exact same thing.
It was actually well reviewed. It might have been lucky for Michigan, but it was the right review result.
February 26th, 2015 at 3:18 PM ^
While most VaTech fans still contend that it was a catch, their bigger gripe is that the review should have been a "Call Stands" because the video evidence wasn't conclusive. There are angles that show it was clearly a catch and angles that show it wasn't a catch.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:32 AM ^
This is nothing like Calvin Johnson's catch. Calvin caught the ball went down and as he was getting himself back up off the turf he pushed down on the ball and lost his grip.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:17 AM ^
It wasn't even that. I think he figured, he landed in the end zone, butt down, knees down, everything down, ball secured, I'll just put this down right here. I think he purposely let go because all human common sense in the world would assume that when you have control of the ball with all possible extremities landing inbounds in the endzone, that's a touchdown and what else do you need to do?
The VT thing just wasn't even a catch. The ball hit the ground before the receiver did, how else would you define incomplete?
February 26th, 2015 at 11:14 AM ^
league as Trey's, the Phantom TD and Desmond's.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^
I knew it would be called no catch because nearly the same exact thing happened for us against Iowa and our TD was ruled no catch.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^
not in his hands, as his fingers are extended and not wrapped around the ball. Plus you could say that his left arm was the first part of him to hit the ground and that the arm landed out of bounds. A heroic effort on Cole's part but I don't believe it was a catch. Certainly many plays before and after that have been ruled no catch despite being more credible.
February 26th, 2015 at 1:56 PM ^
In terms of debatability, it veers into the region of the TD no-call against OSU in 2011, which turned out alright in the end, and maybe the costly calls contra UM against OSU in 1972 and the field-goal call against OSU in 1974.
This rises nowhere near the sheer egregious unacceptability of the White Phantom Touchdown call from the 1979 Rose Bowl.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:10 AM ^
Yup. The ball rotated forward about 90 degrees upon hitting the ground, which confirms that the receiver did not have control. Its clear as day in the replay.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:13 AM ^
If it wasn't conclusive then by rule they shouldn't have been able to overturn it. We laugh at them anyway
February 26th, 2015 at 9:08 AM ^
The guy on the far right of that picture knew about kids being molested on his campus and didn't do much about it, except tell his boss.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:33 AM ^
Which according to everyone else in that fan base was the right call
February 26th, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
Charles White fumble touchdown. I wasn't born yet but my dad brings it up whenever a bad fumble call is made.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:09 AM ^
Wrong thread. Whoops.
February 26th, 2015 at 1:33 PM ^
1st of all - nice catch on this being the worst calls to go FOR us thread!
2nd - apparently there's never been a bad call in our favor, because I haven't seen any mentioned so far that someone else didn't immediately follow up with "But that was the correct call, the rule is just bad"
3rd - C'mon, weren't even born yet when the phantom TD happened??!!??!! I was a freshman who absolutely idolized Rick Leach (got an A in Freshman Comp by writing a piece far pre-dating modern analytics detailing how Leach should have won the Heisman over Billy Sims using yds per play, % of team's offense responsible for). Two of the greatest crimes against (Michigan) humanity of my lifetime were robbing Leach of that Rose Bowl and Bo of his last game (also vs SC) with a TURRRIBLE holding call on a fake punt.
I haven't read the other thread yet because I was more interested in seeing if anyone on this blog would say a bad call had ever gone in our favor - I've not been disappointed! Go Blue!!!
EDIT: Hey look, the very next guy, suspiciously named after the ohio mascot, finally posted a bad call in our favor and no one argued it - they even upvoted the opinion piece!!
February 26th, 2015 at 9:08 AM ^
Brandon Minor TD catch vs MSU in 2008 was maybe the worst call I have ever seen. And the booth reviewed it too.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:11 AM ^
I was just about to post the same thing. It didn't end up influencing the game much at the end but I'll never forget "kicking the pylon".
February 26th, 2015 at 9:33 AM ^
Which... how is that even possible? How can no one know how the pylon works?
February 26th, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^
the booth overturn of the "Kick the Pylon" play was quite possibly the worst call I've seen in my entire lifetime in ANY college football game. It just showed the utter incompetence of the Big Ten replay officials.
They put guys up there that are just ignorant of the rules of football. They see it as a cushy retirement job for old refs who can no longer hack it on the field instead of putting sharp guys up there that essentailly WANT to be replay officials. So you get doddering washed up guys who can't remember what the rules for a COMPLETED PASS are making ridiculous calls like that.
The entire culture was fostered by Jim Augustine, who was the head of Big Ten replay officials for years and utterly incompetent. The number of times he screwed us over on OBVOUS calls that a competent high school team manager could have made in about 10 seconds was mind-numbing. He's retired now, but I will never stop bringing up what a complete and utter fool that man was. You could give him an infinite amount of time to watch an instant replay and he would still never get the call right. He was basically no different than a coin-flip in the booth.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:11 AM ^
The play immediately before the Clowney-Smith decapitation, when the ball was obviously short of the stick but the ref gave us a first down anyway.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:46 AM ^
You could argue that particular call went against us. You know...considering......
February 26th, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^
We all would have savored the warm embrace of a successful punt instead of that other thing that followed.
February 26th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^
Umm you can't punt after you fail on a fourth down conversion.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
the referee initially called it a first down. He was was going to change his mind, then Spurrier got persnickety with him and probably called him a name or something. The Ref, who wasn't going to be shown up like that, basically gave us the first down because he wasn't going to tolerate Spurrier's bs. . ..
February 26th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
But when the Clowney play happened, Mike Tirico said something to effect of "and South Carolina gets the ball back as they should!" The play was bad enough but Tirico was the iceing on the cake
February 26th, 2015 at 3:42 PM ^
Came here for this one. I work with two South Carolina fans and got bombarded with texts when that happened. I was like "....yeaaaahhhh.... that's not a first down"
Couldn't even be mad about the hit on Smith. Just a shame he had to pay the price to the football gods.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^
against MSU. He caught a ball in the air and essentially kicked the pylon as he went out of bounds before he ever landed. While it wasn't exactly a pivotal play in a game we lost anyway, in an absolute sense it was one of the worst calls I've ever seen because it was just so clearly obviously starkly incorrect.
February 26th, 2015 at 1:14 PM ^
That's what came immediately to my mind as well. It didn't make a difference, but my god was that a bad call. That play (and a number of others since) made me lose all faith that the replay official will ever get it right.
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February 26th, 2015 at 3:46 PM ^
I mean, seriously. There was no judgement on this one. The refs just did t know the rules.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^
The end of the 1998 Rose Bowl was a gift. Ryan Leaf clearly spiked the ball before
Time expired. I look at it as some small vindication for the phantom TD call against Bo vs USC but it was a major gift nonetheless. Maybe Leaf goes Cordell Stewart and we never claim our only modern era natty. I'm sure glad we got the call, but the Spartan Bob game was certainly a way for the universe to balance us out.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
I won't neg you but the call made up for the horrible missed offensive pass interference call when Woodson was shoved out of a game ending interception.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:12 AM ^
Maize and Blue glasses, y'all!
February 26th, 2015 at 9:13 AM ^
RUMEAL
'89 NCAA Final vs Seton Hall
February 26th, 2015 at 9:34 AM ^
May or may not have been a call, but I think it changed the way the end of games are officiated to this day. If I were a Seton Hall fan I'd still be livid.
February 26th, 2015 at 1:37 PM ^
Just... BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WORST post ever on Mgoblog, Garde. And that's saying something brother!
You have my permission to GTFO of this blog and all things related to Michigan athletics... you can keep your degree if you earned one, but don't come to any more games. You hear me Garde??!!
February 26th, 2015 at 9:17 AM ^
catch in 2002 where he landed with both feet in and had a cup of coffee before going out of bounce was pretty bad.
We got a call in 94 game at Carver Hawkeye wherein the ref determined that a ball went off an Iowa players chin when it clearly did not that lead to a Jimmy King game winner that was a pretty bad call.
I can't think of many. We are typically on the receiving end of most travesty though. Not a lot jumps to mind here.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:15 AM ^
I actually didn't think that the Sugar Bowl call was a bad call, especially in light of the 2011 Iowa game where we had the exact same call go against us.
The one that pops to mind is the 2012 Outback Bowl vs South Carolina, where were in the 3rd quarter with the lead I believe, had a 3rd down, ran the ball and was clearly about a half yard short, and the officials gave us a first down (even after measuring!) Spurrier was about to blow his lid off, but it turned out ok for South Carolina because the next play, Jadeveon Clowney deccapitated Vincent Smith and recovered his fumble, and SC scored a couple of plays later.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:49 AM ^
That was actually on a fourth down. Michigan ran a fake punt in their own territory, clearly short of the sticks, yet we got the call. But as you pointed out it didn't matter because Jadeveon Clowney happened.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:15 AM ^
The first one I thought of was the South Carolina 1st down call that went in our favor. Of course the universe corrected on the next play, but still.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:25 AM ^
I have seen this same scenario result in a first down for teams many times lately. In fact, I think South Carolina benefitted from this very scenario to beat Georgia this past year.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:46 AM ^
Great call on that UGA/USC measurement this year. I think the explanation in that game was that the nose of the ball only had to be past the final chain length.
February 27th, 2015 at 3:58 AM ^
I would really like to know what the correct ruling is. I assumed the ball had to go beyond the pole, but every since that Georgia game I have seen the ball short of the pole and the play called a first down. Like you said, the commentators said it has to be past the last chain link, so it that is indeed the case, the Michigan play was called correctly.