Even though Pitt was able to successfully complete their improbable upset over an inept West Virginia team and ruin their BCS Championshiop Game bid, anyone who saw it cannot ignore the disturbing way the game’s outcome kept getting extended. With Pitt leading and with the ball with 1:38 to go in the 3rd quarter, running back LeShaun McCoy broke a spectacular run on third down from 13 yards out for a touchdown that put the Panthers up by 10, but a very late flag flew in and it was called back. Replays showed (and commentators agreed) that the holding call against wide receiver Oderrick Turner was dubious, and Pitt settled for a field goal that missed left. Score remained 10-7 and Pitt coach Dave Wanstedt was fuming. Later in the fourth quarter with the BCS Championship drama building, Turner was called for offensive holding again, incredibly, on a third and 4 run that would have earned the Panthers a first down and iced the game for Pitt. Again the late flag, again the suspicious holding call, again new life for a West Virgina team that didn’t deserve it. Just as an insult, officials failed to call pass interference on WVA against Turner on the very next play. So WVA was alive, and only more bad play after a good punt return kept them from scoring and winning the game. What college football fans who saw this game should be worried about is that it appears some sort of fix was in, because it certainly looked like the referees were doing everything they could to keep WVA in the game. Replays showed exceptional blocking technique and execution from Turner, yet he was called for holding twice, both on late flags, on hugely pivotal plays in the game. To us here at BadOff, this one stinks we cetainly hope someone in the position has the balls to find out why.
I was really not pulling for either team so much, just watching. And I have to say, those calls were really hard to stomach. Two pivotal points in the game. Both times late flags (after what would be a nail in the coffin result in the play) both times the holding was hard to see. I would have to guess Big East big wigs want to be represented in the National Championship game and got to the refs that would help them get there. Luckily they were foiled.
I agree. As much as I have always wanted to believe that games are not fixed, this game made me think otherwise. Granted, both teams played horribly on offense, other than LeSean McCoy, but the refs certainly put WVU in position to pull off the win. Hopefully, they just saw what they thought was holding. Maybe the Big East will review these refs.
I am glad someone out there wrote about this. I am not big on conspiracy theories, but this was far beyond disgusting. If you think about motives, the Big East had absolutely NO motive to see WVU lose that game. They would do almost anything to put one of their teams in the national championship game, it seems. Those weren’t just bad calls. They all went against Pitt in extremely pivotal moments.
Can we start a petition. I love the game of College football. In my 41 years I have never seen anything like what I saw in this game. It is sad. It is obvious the refs were pulling flags out after big plays by Pitt. I have seen one replay of the second holding and a ref less than five feet away is looking right at it, but a ref 20 yards down field throws the flag. This really needs to be looked at!!!!!!
Will gladly sign petition. Corruption is spoiling so many sports these days. Let’s all help
clean up College Football.
I would also sign a petition. The officiating, or lack thereof, during the Pitt/West Virginia game was worse than an embarrassment. Like others, I have lost some faith in the NCAA officials. One couldn’t watch this game without being convinced that the officials were desperate to get a Big East team in the BCS Championship. Not only were the bad calls and bad no-calls universally in favor of WV, the ‘celebration’ penalty against Pitt late in the game appeared to be nothing more than a ’sour grapes’ call because the refs couldn’t rescue WV. By the way, I’m not a Pitt fan. More importantly, if West Virginia HAD won due to such blatantly terrible officiating, what a hollow victory that would have been. Nevertheless, there should be some investigation.
I thought I was watching a game from the past, when Joe Paterno ruled the East like Don Cordileone, always getting those miracle finishes from the officials when he needed one.
About Saturday — The Big East ought to be ashamed of itself. The officiating in the Pitt-WVU game made it obvious the League was doing everything possible to get WVU to the big dance.
In the second quarter, after WVU failed to convert third down, Pitt got a BS “unsportsman” penalty that gave WV their touchdown.
At the end — the two “holding” calls on PItt , the non-pass inerference call against WVU, and the “Celebration:” penalty against Pitt made it a travesty.
The only thing worse, would have been if the officials would have succeeded in giving the game to WVU, and the wised-up voters had polledf WVU away. They and the League would have deserved it. when he needed it.
Give me a break all you PITT fans. You won the game, enjoy it and shut up! There may have been a couple of bad calls, but there was no fix. Come on, you cry when you don’t win and now you cry when you do. I was there, WV took their loss in a suprising classy way. PITT needs to stop thinking they are better than others who are not from Pittsburgh.
PITT won, you don’t have to continue with the “conspiracy” reason for if you had lost. Enjoy it while you can, or while you are watching everyone play in their bowls.
Adam,
I don’t care if you hate football and are willing to look past its corruption. But you sully the name of America with your brazen anti-justice stance. Go back to Russia comrade.
I AM a Pitt fan, and a die-hard one at that, But, try as I might, I can’t help concluding that the Big East officials wanted WVU to win that game! Moreover, the TV commentators noted just how bad the calls went. After getting screwed by the officials in the Rutgers game it would have been too much to take if Pitt hadn’t won, those kids played their hearts out, and the score should have been 17-0.
Why would it be surprising that the Big East officials wanted West Virginia to win the football game on Saturday? It makes all the sense in the world when you realize that a conference fighting for national respect since the departures of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College had a chance to get one of their own in the BCS Championship Game. What you can’t do however is cheat in such an overt fashion as to leave little doubt as to what the intended result is to be. I didn’t really have any rooting interest in the game, however, the two holding calls and the non-interference call were borderline insanity, and all in very crucial points of the contest. Even my friend who is a die hard Moutaineers fan suggested that he would have felt “dirty” had West Virginia won the game.
I am a very big college football fan, and the one offical on the far sideline was the one that made all 3 bad calls. Someone better look into his bank account or at least investigate him. Pitt coaches should refuse to play another game that he is officiating. Pitt coaches are the ones that should not let this go, for the good of the future of college football!
I am a UM fan, living in USF territory(Tampa) and never reply to any of these discussions. I love to watch college ball, because these kids give it their best. I remember that Championship game between Ohio State and Miami a few years back. I found it hard to be told that we had to accept a bad (HORRIBLE) call as viewers who just want to see a good clean game. BTW (Born in Ohio, lived in Columbus, 2nd favorite to UM) Ohio State outplayed Miami, Miami really won that game but lost on a very bad call. THIS IS WHY I AM REPLYING TO THREAD!!!
THOSE WERE HORRIBLE CALLS, even LATE. When I watch a game, I will even call foul on my own team.
RIGHT is RIGHT, and WRONG is WRONG! THIS Game was not being Officiated fairly.
I hope I cleared up the fact that not only fans from Pittsburgh were replying. (ADAM)
Someone needs to check into this games officiating, because we the fans of college football deserve it too!
Please!!!!!! I don’t deny at all that those were bad calls. But why does everything in this country have to be a conspiracy theory? And Don, I serve my country in the military, do you? Don’t dare suggest I go to Russia!! And no I do not hate football, I LOVE IT, and I played small college football. I just know that there are refs out there that should not be. I don’t need some conspiracy to justify my thoughts on that.
I am a big WVU fan and I was at the game. I agree, as bad as I hate PITT, that those calls would have been terrible ways to win the game. However, are we forgetting all the flags that were thrown against the Mountaineers in the game as well. I don’t think they were bad calls, but I’m not yelling conspiracy either. WVU blew their shot at the national championship, it’s as simple as that.
Refs make bad calls every weekend in college and the NFL, some happen during critical moments, some don’t. We don’t need to uncover underlying myths everytime it happens. I’m suprised no one has accused WVU kicker Pat McAfee of shanking two chip shot field goals. After all, he is one of the nations best field goal kickers. But it comes down to him just having a bad night, and for whatever reason, so did the refs.
I called the head of Officiating for the Big East and they asked people to send in emails to ncarparelli@bigeast.org so that they could better respond to our concerns. Whats funny is that they knew what game I was calling about before I could say anything. Their # is (401) 272-9108
Lets hope that if anything does come from this, That maybe Adams last words were true!
You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to conclude that the officiating in the Pitt/WVU game was awful. I don’t know if it was just pure incompetence or if the fix was in, but it was quite clear that the calls made, especially the phantom holding calls, were nothing short of ridiculous. They were made after it was obvious that the play was a success by officials who weren’t in position to make them. Louisville was screwed out of a win due to incompetent officiating, and Pitt was almost robbed as well. The Big East’s credibility is at issue and some action needs to be taken by the league, or it will continue to have its detractors. The lure of title game money really sure looked to be at work in Morgantown.
Dear Passionate College Football Fans,
Thank you for the lively discussion and colorful debate on this hugely important subject. Whether you rooted for the Mountaineers or Panthers, we are all college football fans…..it is in our blood and important to us. So, then, is it too much to ask the officiating crews at these games, with so much at stake, to have the same level of committment, passion and dedication as us fans, the coaches and the players do? No way. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent on advertising this bowl season alone, which is why big media cannot come out and say what we already know: that something was dreadfully wrong with the way this game was called and fans deserve to know why and what will be done about it. Greg included a phone number and email address for the Big East offices (Thanks Greg!) and I urge you all to call and write to express your disappointment and concern. Who knows, we may actually be able to make a difference and change the way things are done.
Thanks again for your support…..keep the comments coming!
Your Dedicated Referee Police
Been three weeks already and not a peep out of the Big East about the abhorent officiating at this game….whats going on?????