Page 3B
The Behrend Beacon
5 Reasons Wh ...
Big Ten football referees should have at least a grade school education
OK, I realize that that is a hit harsh, wonderful call again in the crucial
but we easily have the most final minutes. Either the ref couldn't
notorious refs in the country
and they have been
atrocious game after game.
I also realize as the
coaches and players have
been quick to point out that
had Penn State played
better, these late game
comebacks would not have
been necessary. This is
also true; they got
themselves into jams
which is what caused all
of the injustices
I. Penn State vs. lowa - This is one
of the most blatant examples of a
blunder and lack of professionalism
by Big Ten officials. After Penn
State made the greatest comeback I
have ever witnessed (and, yes, I
stayed for the ENTIRE game), the
refs cost Penn State the game. Tony
Johnson caught a pass that would
have given the team some great field
positioning.
Well, after it was ruled a catch
•mother ref came running up and said
no catch. This could easily be
considered why Penn State lost the
game. That call deflated the crowd
and took some wind out of the
driving Lions' sails.
2. Penn State vs. Michigan - This
game clearly shows that to he a ref,
you should not be legally blind.
That's as .olite as I can , et about this
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possession and two feet in
bounds constitutes a catch
in NCAA football.
e # Technically, you
only need one foot in
college but on this play
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At. Tony Johnson clearly
had both feet in bounds.
Maybe the refs just have
Scott Soltis
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see two feet in front of him,
or he didn't understand that
something
Johnson.
would have given Penn
State afirst down in Michigan
territory with 40 seconds and two
timeouts. Would it have made it a
shoe in? No. Would it have given
them great chance to avoid
overtime'? Hell, yes! This was yet
another honeheaded call by the refs
that potentially cost Penn State
another football game.
3. Penn State vs. Ohio State - I know
at this point it must sound like I'm
beating a dead horse, but facts are
facts. In this game Penn State and
Ohio State were locked in a brutal
defensive showdown. The Nittany
Lions were going for first down on a
fourth and three deep in their own
territory. Bryant Johnson nearly had
a catch hut the pass fell to the
ground. incomplete. However, it was
not that simple. Bryant did not catch
the hall because he was clearly
interfered with, clear to everyone hut
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Friday, November 1, 2002
the refs
The Lions would have had a fresh
set of downs to march down the field.
Instead there was a turnover on
downs and the Buckeyes ran the
clock out. Penn State lost by six
points and fell to a record of 5-3. The
refs didn't cost the team the game as
much here, but they eliminated the
chance of Penn State winning.
4. Joe Paterno - Coach Paterno is
usually not critical of the refs, he
takes blame himself for not preparing
his team enough. He realizes that
things should not come down to the
calls of the refs and that his guys
need to play a little better (especially
in the lowa game). However,
Paterno has been very critical of the
Big Ten officiating.
against
This play
He went as far as to chase down a
ref following the lowa loss and grab
him by the arm. "I thought they
made a couple of lousy calls on the
other side of the field," Paterno later
explained.
Penn State Athletic Director, Tim
Curley, has also chimed in, saying he
sent a letter to the Big Tcn following
the Michigan loss. "I am of the
opinion that Big Ten officiating has
not met the usual high standards
associated with the Big Ten in all
areas." This is as strong of an
official statement criticizing the refs
by Penn State in a long time.
5. Florida State vs. Notre Dame -
This game proved that Big Ten
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IMESIME
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EMIS
ii a 11
Scott Soltis and Zoe Rose, sports editors
officials suck whether or not they are
reffing a Big Ten game. The refs
blew call after call in this game.
There were calls against both teams
and by the second half Notre Dame
started to pull away. There was no
glaring example of a Big Ten blunder
in this game, but there were lesser
blown calls everywhere.
I understand that refs are not
perfect and will not make all calls,
but we have to set standards of what
is unacceptable. The way that Big
Ten officials called these four games
and many others this season is
intolerable. It is feasible to say that
if none of the Penn State calls at the
end of the games the team could
easily be 7-1. 8-0 would be a stretch
because the Lions would have had to
drive a long way against Ohio State,
which could have been possible, but
unlikely.
I guess we'll never know how
good the season could have been
without those wonderful Big Ten
refs.
In a totally unrelated note
congratulations and much respect go
out to Emmitt Smith who is the new
all-time rushing leader for the NFL.
Emmitt is the main reason I have been
a Cowboys fan for years and I would
have been remiss not to mention this
teat.
:;~
`'':#
I:
I
Behrend
to host
AMCC
cross
country
title race
The Behrend cross country team has
worked hard, battled injuries, and
fought the elements. On Saturday, they
will leave everything on the course.
The seven teams that make up the
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate
Conference will be here at Behrend to
compete for the AMCC team titles and
individual titles this Saturday.
Behrend has nursed back some of its
previously missing runners. and all are
expected to compete at the meet.
"We are ready now that we have the
whole team back and are semi-healthy.
We are really united and ready to win,"
said freshman Nina Zinger.
When asked about running the
AMCC meet at Behrend this year,
sophomore Matt Sprung said, "I think
that it's going to be a good experience
for the team." About the home course
advantage for the meet he replies, "I
think that it's definitely going to give
the team an upper edge."
The competition at the meet is
expected to be close. Many believe the
top honors will he fought for by
Frostburg State and Behrend. The
women's team will be defending the
title that it captured from Frostburg
State a year ago.
Coach Dave Cooper believes that in
order to win the team titles, everyone is
going to have to step dp this Saturday.
This year's leading runner for the
men's team. Tim Schultheis, will have
to keep pace with Frostburg's top
runners. The rest of the men will need
to finish ahead of their No. 3 and 4
runners to stay in contention.
"Nine of our men have finished in the
top 5 at different times this year. We
have the depth to really set Frostburg
back if the guys run like they are able
to," said Cooper.
When asked how the men's team has
been shaping up for the conference
meet, junior Dan Croft replied, "The
pack has really come together over the
past two weeks. I don't think Frostburg
knows what to expect. I wanna bring
the AMCC title back to Behrend."
The women's team faces the same
type of situation. Jessica .Sarver and
Jessica Knapp will look to finish strong,
and should provide some breathing
room. The Lions will also need to push
to finish in the third through seventh
positions to stay in contention for the
title.
"We'd like to end the season with
both the men's and women's titles, but
it should be close," said Cooper.
On the individual level, Andrew
Musinguzi, a member of La Roche's
team, is favored to defend his AMCC
title.
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Last year, Jessica Knapp captured the
women's title, and looks to defend it this
year. One of her strongest challenges
should come from teammate Jessica
Sarver.
When asked about the upcoming
meet, Sarver replied, "I'm really
excited. It's been a while since the
whole team has gotten to run together
because of injuries. It's going to be a
great time to see how well we can do
and hopefully win on our home course."
However the outcome, this Saturday
should provide for some of the most
exciting cross country action of the
season. Racing kicks off at 11:00 a.m.
with the women's race, and will be
followed by the men's race at 11:45 a.m.
by Ed Mesaros
staff writer