DI-AA Semi-Final

[tjones1]

I just caught the very end of this game on ESPN2. Anyways, I got at least two good looks at the Referee. It appeared he had a yellow bean-bag. Was I seeing things?

[schwinn]

On my TV it looked orange. You could be right.

[SWFLguy]

Orange to me too--
I bet D-1AA has TV review
next year-- t least in play-offs
--after the "fumble"
by the Furman QB.
When I first saw it I yelled
"incomplete pass" at the TV--
your thoughts ??

[HLin NC]

I know the Southern Conference went to day-glo orange. Not sure if that was a SoCon crew yesterday since both teams were from the SoCon.

[TXMike]

Yes, it was So Conf.

[sloth]

I may come off as partial being a Furman grad, but I too thought it looked to be a forward pass. I saw a similar play on Monday night, and it was instantly blown as an incomplete.

I don't fault the referee on the no call (the play was away from hiom at an odd angle). It looked as though the LJ was out of postiton and that may have caused the problem.

At any rate, it was obviously very close, the only critism I'd have is that the call wasn't a conservative one (I
ve thought about it and I'd feel the same way if it went the other way). In the past three years of being an official, I've learned that if its too close to call, you call forward pass instead of lateral, incomplete pass instead of fumble, incomplete pass as opposed to complete and down by contact instead of fumble...I think you get the point. I've always believed that its better to error on the side of not giving a big play away. I think thats my issue with that particular play.

[jrfath]

I think you have to be very careful when it comes to making calls, or no-calls like this. My opinion is if you see something on the field, and you just are not quite sure what saw, I think that is when you error on the side of caution and call the incomplete pass/forward pass/etc...

But if in that instance you know what you saw, let your officiating instincts take over, and make the call.

[Zebra29]

Originally posted by SWFLguy
Orange to me too--
I bet D-1AA has TV review
next year-- t least in play-offs
--after the "fumble"
by the Furman QB.
When I first saw it I yelled
"incomplete pass" at the TV--
your thoughts ??

I believe that 1-AA, II and III will all use instant replay in their Finals. I was told that at the beginning of the season by my commissioner. Whether or not that is still true, I am not sure.

[jrfath]

Does anyone think it is unfair to the officials working these respective championship games to use instant replay for just one game? I understand it is beneficial to the teams, but I think it would be hard to re-program your officiating to add the instant replay facet to your thinking, when you have not had to think about it for the entire season.

Any thoughts?

[ref18]

On the Canadian University National Championship (Vanier Cup) one official had a florescent yellow beanbag.

It looked really wierd, but you can't loose it on the field. I think it's a good idea.

[Zebra29]

A beanbag that is the same or similar to the color of a flag, I'm sure, can only be a bad idea.

[ref18]

Our flags are bright orange up here in Canada, so it was a different colour.