A look back to almost 5 years ago... OSU vs Miami

[JugglingReferee]

POV #1: YouTube - Ohio State-Miami: The "Pass Interference" Call

POV #2: YouTube - Ohio State vs Miami - Pass Interference? Replay + Analysis.

Rob's Special T's: Rob's Special T's ::. Your Custom Apparel Specialists
(I actually bought this poster.)

PS: I hope MTD, Sr. from the basketball side sees this.

[TXMike]

It was a foul then and is a foul today and will be a foul until if and when the rules are changed. It was a great call and one that tooks balls of steel to make. Porter made it. Each of us can only hope we will answer the bell when our test comes, if it ever does.

From Notes: Months later, 'Canes interference call looks right - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com Live Scores, Standings, Stats

Notes: Months later, 'Canes interference call looks right
July 16, 2003
By Dennis Dodd
SportsLine.com Senior Writer


Terry Porter was right.

Six and a half months after the most controversial call of the Bowl Championship Series era, the Big 12 field judge has been vindicated.

That's not going to please Miami players, fans and coaches who are still grinding their teeth over Porter's decision to signal pass interference against Miami defensive back Glenn Sharpe in the Fiesta Bowl.


Miami's Glenn Sharpe and Ohio State's Chris Gamble jump for the ball in the end zone.(Getty Images)
Earlier this year Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg said game films had been reviewed and that, in fact, Porter had made the right call. The Big Ten supervisor of officials, who is used by the NCAA to assign officials for bowl games, concurred this week.

The problem is, few people saw the actual infraction. All the replays focused on Sharpe jumping for a ball in the end zone intended for Ohio State receiver Chris Gamble.

The penalty occurred on fourth-and-3 from the Miami 5 in the first overtime of Ohio State's 31-24 victory. At the line of scrimmage, Sharpe tried to "jam" Gamble and impeded his progress. When the official who apparently had the call in the end zone didn't make one, Porter came rushing from the back of the end zone to throw the flag four or five seconds after the play had ended.

"The timing of the flag might have looked not good," said Dave Parry, the Big Ten supervisor of officials, who works with the NCAA. "Terry was probably trying to be very thorough. He signaled a push for a defensive pass interference, then a signal for holding. There is a time lapse there. When the camera showed it they didn't see the line of scrimmage. They saw the downfield play about 7 or 8 yards."

Porter has been the subject of Miami fans' message board rants for months since the call. Miami's stance seems to be that while the call might have been right, it was inexcusable that Porter waited those pregnant seconds before throwing the flag after running from the back of the end zone.

"I replayed it in my mind," Porter said after the game. "I wanted to make double-sure that it was the right call."

Without saying it was the case, Parry said this week there could have been a "small, small little downgrade" in Porter's evaluation for shoddy mechanics in waiting so long to make the call. Crews are assigned to the national championship game on a rotating basis. The crews are "all-stars" made up of the best official at each position in that conference.

A Big 12 crew was supposed to do the 2002 Rose Bowl but was delayed a year when Nebraska made the game. That allowed Porter and his mates a chance at the Fiesta Bowl. What bothered Porter and the Big 12 was a report that two letters of apology had been sent to conference schools after games Porter worked.

The Big 12 was upset by the report. Porter, a Stillwater, Okla., food broker, denied that was the case.

"I ain't talking about (the call)," Porter said brusquely this week when reached by phone. "You can call the Big 12 office."

Big 12 supervisor of officials Tim Millis, an NFL official himself, said this year that Porter would be NFL material if he were younger. Porter is in his mid-50s. Millis was out of the office this week and could not be reached.

"I talked to Terry about it," Parry said. "His view was the snuggle (contact) was right at the line of scrimmage. (Sharpe) took (Gamble's) shoulder away from him as he tried to get away. That's why he went with holding."

Jay Hansen, sports editor of the Mansfield (Ohio) News-Journal, was one of the few lay persons with a closeup look at the play. While everyone else was concentrating on the two players in the end zone, Hansen was watching the line of scrimmage from the floor of the Fiesta Bowl.

"From what I saw there was definitely contact," said Hansen, who had come down from the press box and was on the sideline near the end zone when the call was made.

"I thought it should have been holding. Gamble caught the defensive back on his heels. I was concentrating on Gamble. Definitely, in my opinion, there was a penalty on the play."

The view from South Florida is that the call cost the Hurricanes the national championship. Not even close. During that drive and before the call, Miami's vaunted defense allowed Ohio State to convert a fourth-and-14. A stop there would have won Miami its second consecutive national championship.

Even after the controversial call, it took the Buckeyes two plays to score from the Miami 1 in the first overtime to tie it. Then, after trailing 31-24 in the second overtime, Miami had four cracks at the tying (or eventual winning) score from the Ohio State 2.

On fourth down, Ken Dorsey crumbled in the face of a withering Ohio State rush and the upset was achieved. Porter was a stand-up guy, explaining the call after the game.

In retrospect, Miami, an 11-point favorite, had plenty of chances to put the game away and in the end was outplayed by an Ohio State team that was better prepared. And whether it takes five seconds or five minutes, they teach officials, above all, to get the call right. Porter did.

[RMR]

bowling balls

[bossman72]

For the prospective football official reading here, why is this pass interference?

[TXMike]

The DB was holding the receiver prior to ball being thrown and continued while the ball was in the air. That act prohibited the receiver from having a reasonable chance to catch the ball. That is DPI

[JugglingReferee]

Every once in awhile you'll see a play where illegal contact occurs before the ball is released by the passer, and this illegal contact continues until after the ball is released by the passer. I think this play is one of those times: the holding or Illegal Contact on A Receiver flag is upgraded to Pass Interference.

[sloth]

When you watch the YouTube videos its funny to see how a non-officil judges keys that most officials don't think much about. The first point them make is that a flag thrown 2-3 seconds after the play is less valid than one thrown before the ball hits the ground. Next, they are upset that the LJ doesn't have a flag when the FJ does. Little to they realize that is the FJ's key, not the LJ.

While my threshold for PI is a bit higher than the action in this play, I don't fault the official for the flag and would have thought really hard before holding onto my flag for this play.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by sloth

When you watch the YouTube videos its funny to see how a non-official judges keys that most officials don't think much about. The first point them make is that a flag thrown 2-3 seconds after the play is less valid than one thrown before the ball hits the ground. Next, they are upset that the LJ doesn't have a flag when the FJ does. Little to they realize that is the FJ's key, not the LJ.

While my threshold for PI is a bit higher than the action in this play, I don't fault the official for the flag and would have thought really hard before holding onto my flag for this play.

This is exactly why I posted the links.

FWIW, I think that the call was a great call - and hence why I purchased the poster!

[OverAndBack]

(This was almost six years ago, no? It was my understanding there would be no math.)

In my experience, we've been taught that an extra second to make sure before you throw the flag or signal the touchdown isn't a deal-breaker. Make sure, and if that takes an extra second, so be it.

So when they say there "might" have been a bit of a downgrade for a flag 2 or 3 seconds late, that tells me that's the outside edge of that envelope, at least in the court of public opinion.

I wasn't even an official at that stage of life (I didn't start doing hoops until the winter of 2003-2004 and didn't do football until the fall of 2004) and, as fans will, I thought, "Man, that's a late-*** flag."

Now I know that's not a really late flag, but just a tad tardy and that there's nothing wrong with that. And that the call was correct. So thanks for that. That's useful.

[JugglingReferee]

Yes, it was 6 years ago. I was wondering when someone would catch that.

At that time, I was still about 3 years from getting into the Canadian version of NCAA (so still have *lots* to learn) and when I saw that flag, I thought, "bad flag" like the announcer.

It took only one replay to see that the flag was correct.

[sj]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

I thought........like the announcer.

Even if it was just for a fleeting moment it takes a strong individual to admit to something like this. : > )

[zm1283]

Horrible, awful, terrible call. I don't have enough adjectives to describe how bad that call was. When was he holding him while the ball was in the air? There was ZERO contact when the ball was in the air before it was touched. NONE. Go back and watch the first video. They zoom in and slow it down once the ball is released. If Porter wanted to throw the flag because of the "holding" at the line of scrimmage, why didn't he throw his flag then? Why did he wait 3 full seconds after the play was over (And probably 5+ after the "holding" at the line) before he threw the flag?

That was a crap call that stole a national championship. I don't referee football, just basketball, but at least I can admit it when I think a basketball official on TV has kicked a call. Why can't football officials do the same?

[TXMike]

Originally Posted by zm1283

Horrible, awful, terrible call. I don't have enough adjectives to describe how bad that call was. When was he holding him while the ball was in the air? There was ZERO contact when the ball was in the air before it was touched. NONE. Go back and watch the first video. They zoom in and slow it down once the ball is released. If Porter wanted to throw the flag because of the "holding" at the line of scrimmage, why didn't he throw his flag then? Why did he wait 3 full seconds after the play was over (And probably 5+ after the "holding" at the line) before he threw the flag?

That was a crap call that stole a national championship. I don't referee football, just basketball, but at least I can admit it when I think a basketball official on TV has kicked a call. Why can't football officials do the same?

We do point out mistakes WHEN THEY ARE MADE and if you spent any degree of time on our boards you would realize that. In fact, we do so so much that Referee magazine has even blasted us in a recent issue.

This is not a matter of ignoring a bad call, this is a matter of supporting a good call.

[OverAndBack]

Originally Posted by zm1283

Horrible, awful, terrible call. I don't have enough adjectives to describe how bad that call was. When was he holding him while the ball was in the air? There was ZERO contact when the ball was in the air before it was touched. NONE. Go back and watch the first video. They zoom in and slow it down once the ball is released. If Porter wanted to throw the flag because of the "holding" at the line of scrimmage, why didn't he throw his flag then? Why did he wait 3 full seconds after the play was over (And probably 5+ after the "holding" at the line) before he threw the flag?

That was a crap call that stole a national championship. I don't referee football, just basketball, but at least I can admit it when I think a basketball official on TV has kicked a call. Why can't football officials do the same?

Do football for a year. Then we'll talk.

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by zm1283

Horrible, awful, terrible call. ............That was a crap call that stole a national championship. I don't referee football, just basketball, but at least I can admit it when I think a basketball official on TV has kicked a call. Why can't football officials do the same?

First, to even suggest that football officials are reluctant to criticize other football officials, suggests you don't read a lot of football official forums and are apparently prone to offering opinions where you have no relevant standing.

Second, as an official you should realize and understand the process ANY official, working any sport, should go through before assessing any foul or penalty situation and you lack credible experience to offer a crtique about a process you know nothing about.

Third, any "official" who thinks he is smart enough to criticize an official working a different sport, about the fine line application of a rule in a National Championship level game is either an egomaniac or a complete fool. There is no 3rd choice.