BUCKEYES WIN!!!

[MavsManiac]

OK, I looked but couldn't find a single comment about my Buckeyes winning the Championship! Hard to believe in a football-crazed town that such a FANTASTIC, hard-fought, double-overtime, game would go unnoticed!

I mean, I'm posting this 3 days later & still nothing...

Instant classic... I mean, how 'bout Maurice Clarrett the running back stud freshman making probably the biggest "defensive" play of the game in stealing the ball after the interception?

Did nobody watch this game or what? Just wondering...

[Just211]

I was too disusted with the phantom pass interfierence call to think about it. I think a lot of people feel this way.
For it being such a "upset", no one seems to care.

[Big Boy Laroux]

i agree just211.

no pass interference. i was about to crown kellen winslow the mvp... then that awful call.

on the strip play. why in the hell did that guy run it out of the BACK of the end zone. ridiculous.

but poor willis mcgahee... ouch.

[Base Line Guy]

TERRIBLE CALL! Another phantom Big 10 call and I was rooting for OSU.

BLG

[MavsManiac]

Why did I know this would be the rallying call??

If it was close enough to warrant throwing a flag, then it was legit. Besides, if my memory serves, they made up for it on Miami's next possession with pass-interference call in the endzone in their favor that allowed the 'Canes multiple shots from the 1yd line & they just couldn't punch it in.

Granted, it would have been easier with McGahee (unfortunate injury), but this still could have easily gone into triple OT...

The fact that this game even went into overtime is amazing in my eyes. I was expecting the Buckeyes to get totally blown out, as were many. How does a team that is NOT good against the pass manage stay in a game like this & even sack the unsackable QB multiple times? I can tell you one thing... It hasn't nothing to do with a so-called phantom call at the extended end of the game...

The Buckeyes played their butts off in this game, so did Miami. Both teams deserved to win.

Don't take away from Ohio State's win, just because of a call in an OT that shouldn't have even taken place to begin with. If it weren't for a bonehead attempt at a fake FG, this game would have been over after 4 quarters...

[Dooby]

I keep hearing about this "phantom pass intereference". I was watching the game and I clearly saw the ref that threw the flag look at the head ref and signal holding, I presume defensive holding. The head ref then announced pass interference, but I think the call was really holding. In the replay, there was a lot of contact and some pushing and grabbing at the line of scrimmage. I am satisfied with that. Fouts commented that there could be contact within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, but that isn't true when you are on the friggin' 5 yard line.

[Base Line Guy]

Nobody is commenting that OSU didn't play hard, they did. We are saying that the call was TOTAL BULLSHIT! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE CALL! Keep in mind, I was rooting for OSU. If you were to call ANYTHING, call defensive holding NOT PI. Pat yourself on the back all yo want, but in my eyes, it was an unfortunate call considering how enjoyable this game was.

Side note, if I hear another person say "THE" ohio state, I might just end it all. I know, I know, it's tradition, but sometimes tradition sounds so damn stupid.

BLG

[Dooby]

"I saw the guy holding the guy prior to the ball being put in the air," Porter said. "He was still holding him, pulling him down while the ball was in the air. I gave the signal for holding. Then I realized it should be pass interference because the ball was in the air."

[Big Boy Laroux]

i read that the NCAA has had to write letters of apology to schools in the past because of bad calls this certain official has made. sounds like another one may be being drafted as we speak.


as for defensive holding, dooby, why can't you have contact within five yards if scrimmage was the 5 yard line? is that in the rules? not being sarcastic, i really want to know if that is true.

[MavsManiac]

<< &quot;I saw the guy holding the guy prior to the ball being put in the air,&quot; Porter said. &quot;He was still holding him, pulling him down while the ball was in the air. I gave the signal for holding. Then I realized it should be pass interference because the ball was in the air.&quot; >>



Hmm... doesn't sound like a &quot;TOTAL BULLSHIT! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE CALL!&quot; to me...

Just a question... if it were indeed called Defensive Holding rather than Pass Interference, would it not have resulted in a 1st down &amp; allowed the Buckeyes 4 tries to punch it in anyway? The play deserved a flag, no matter what, did it not?

side note: Did I use the term THE ohio state? I don't remember doing so, but I do try to avoid using OSU here in Dallas, people tend to get confused...

[Base Line Guy]

MM, settle down, I'm not attacking you! You wanted people to comment on this so I did. I'm not addressing what you said directly. I was commenting on how followers of OSU address their school as, &quot;THE&quot; Ohio State. The call, IMO, was a bad call, mark that...HORRIBLE call. The right call, if ANYTHING was to be called, was holding and yes, OSU would have had it right there anyway. PI was incorrect by the replays I saw.

BLG

[MavsManiac]

BLG... I'm calm. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I just thought I'd used that term &amp; didn't remember. I think it's stupid, too [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

As for the call, in slow motion from various angles, yes it can be argued that it shouldn't have been called Pass Interference. However, from where I sat on the couch in full speed at the time it happened I thought there was some banging going on that should have been called.

Thanks for everyone's comments, btw... I couldn't believe there was NOTHING said about the game that I could find before this...

[Dooby]

<< as for defensive holding, dooby, why can't you have contact within five yards if scrimmage was the 5 yard line? is that in the rules? not being sarcastic, i really want to know if that is true. >>



I don't have a NCAA div. 1A rulebook handy. But think of it this way, your team is on the 2 and you roll out to pass. Is it OK for the DB's to manhandle and pummel your receivers to keep them out of the endzone? It shouldn't be.

[Base Line Guy]

Either way, CONGRATS on an amazing season!

BLG

[Dooby]

&quot;Defensive players may use hands and arms to push, pull, ward off or
lift offensive players obviously attempting to block them. Defensive
players may ward off or legally block an eligible pass receiver until that
player occupies the same yard line as the defender or until the opponent
could not possibly block him. Continuous contact is illegal (A.R.
9-3-4-I, II and IV).&quot;

[Big Boy Laroux]

so if the rule is a 5-yard cushion, and they are on the two yard line, the defender should be able to knock the receiver on his ass, if he has stayed in front of him.

not saying this is the best thing, but it seems to be within the rules, as it is within five yards.

what does this mean - &quot;until that player occupies the same yard line as the defender&quot;

[Dooby]

The 5 yard rule isn't the rule, it is the layman's interpretation of the rule.

I assume the rule means you push, grab and shove until he is side by side with you, then you can't grab him. Under that interp., it was holding if the ball wasn't in the air; pass interference if it was. Technically, there is prob. both on every play. I just don't have a problem with the call 'cause he grabbed the receiver at the line of scrimmage.

[Big Boy Laroux]

gotcha, as the defender normally lines up about 5 yards off the line...

what if the defender is 15 yards off the line, the receiver runs straight at him, and the defender hits him. technically he has hit him just as they occupied the same space, but not after. weird rule once you think about it.

i'd have to see the play again. it probably was holding. i don't think they really showed the play in its entirety.

[Just211]

IMO there should jave been no flag at all. the were both fighting for space, but when they showed the replay there was absolutely no contact when the ball was in the air.
Also, I'm just tired of seeing db's get abused by officials in every game I watch. This game didn't bother me, because I could care less who won. BUT everytime you watch a game, you see the same thing. the QB just lofts the ball up, and the WR can basically push the DB out of the way, but the DB can have perfect position, and be flgged because of the contact the WR caused. You see it every game, and it blows.

[MavsManiac]

<< BUT everytime you watch a game, you see the same thing. the QB just lofts the ball up, and the WR can basically push the DB out of the way, but the DB can have perfect position, and be flgged because of the contact the WR caused. You see it every game, and it blows. >>



This I'll agree with 100%...

[OutletPass]

MM...it's no real surprise that no comments were made, despite this being one of the most exciting college games that I've seen in a long time. I'm sure that it will go down as a classic and will be long remembered...I'm not a big football fan at all but thoroughly enjoyed this one.

But Texas is pretty myopic about it's football...gotta have a Longhorn, an Aggie or a Cowboy running around. Just an observation from living here almost my entire life.

Given the recent penchant for selecting OSU players, we may see some of your guys running around with a star on their helmet soon.

[Big Boy Laroux]

i definitely agree, just211. Offensive pass interference is RARELY, if ever, called.

and the only time i've seen it called recently was on randy moss, who the officials hate anyway.

[MavsManiac]

<< MM...it's no real surprise that no comments were made, despite this being one of the most exciting college games that I've seen in a long time. I'm sure that it will go down as a classic and will be long remembered...I'm not a big football fan at all but thoroughly enjoyed this one.

But Texas is pretty myopic about it's football...gotta have a Longhorn, an Aggie or a Cowboy running around. Just an observation from living here almost my entire life.

Given the recent penchant for selecting OSU players, we may see some of your guys running around with a star on their helmet soon. >>



So true, too bad Jamar Martin had to be KO'd for the season in the PREseason, otherwise Emmitt woulda had his 1000+ yards this season... also, Derek Ross had a nice impact this season...

[Dooby]

Report: McGahee insured for $2.5 million
January 6, 2003

MELBOURNE, Fla. -- University of Miami tailback Willis McGahee took out a $2.5 million insurance policy two weeks before he was injured in the Fiesta Bowl and can collect after a year if the injury prevents him from returning to football, a Florida newspaper reports.

Insurance agent Keith Lerner of Gainesville told Florida Today that the policy was signed and put into effect just prior to the game, the newspaper said in a story for Tuesday editions.

That last-minute decision could end up securing McGahee's financial future if he's unable to play again. The sophomore rushed for a school-record 1,686 yards and 27 touchdowns this past season, and was projected to be a top-five draft pick had he turned pro early.

McGahee suffered a severe injury to his left knee in the fourth quarter of the 31-24 loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

&quot;I just visited him in the hospital and told him that my hope is, and that everybody's hope is, that you're going to the NFL and make a substantial amount of money,&quot; Lerner said Monday night. &quot;But if he doesn't, he's got something to fall back on.&quot;

McGahee underwent surgery Sunday at HealthSouth Doctors Hospital, next to the Coral Gables campus. Doctors repaired torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and are hopeful he could eventually return to play again.

If he isn't able to return from the injury, he'll get $2.5 million minus taxes, Lerner said. He said McGahee will be eligible to collect Jan. 3, 2004 -- one year from the date of the injury if he's not back by then.

Dr. John Uribe, who performed the surgery, declined to set a timetable for McGahee's return but said he should make a complete recovery.

Lerner, president of the financial consulting firm Total Planning, has written numerous insurance policies for college stars. Lerner told Florida Today on Monday that he wrote a policy for McGahee in late December with Lloyd's of London, after McGahee contacted him.

The coverage officially started on Dec. 20. The final medical forms were sent to Lloyd's of London the day of the Fiesta Bowl, Lerner said.

McGahee's premium was about $20,000, paid for with a loan taken out by McGahee's family, Lerner told the newspaper.

&quot;It was a real, real smart decision on his behalf,&quot; Lerner said. &quot;He wanted to get as much insurance as he could. The ironic thing about it is that he waited so late in the season to get it that he got a lot more coverage than he could have at the beginning of the season.&quot;

Insurance policies for college athletes not taken out directly through the NCAA's program can be done by independent writers.

A year ago Lerner insured four Hurricanes players who went on to become first-round picks: Bryant McKinnie, Mike Rumph, Phillip Buchanon and Ed Reed.

Former Florida defensive tackle Ed Chester, another former Lerner client, suffered a similar knee injury in his senior season for the Gators in 1998 and collected the following fall on a $1 million policy.
************************************************** *****************
Has there ever been money better spent?

[MavsManiac]

Smart kid!

[Drbio]

I feel bad for the kid, but I'm impressed he had the foresight to take out the policy. I hope he doesn't need to collect it.

[#1MavsFan]

How many of you think that was the greatest bowl game ever? I think its probably the greatest bowl game ever considering it went in to double overtime.

[MFFL]

I was certainly the greatest title game I've ever watched.

[Murphy3]

i didn't see if there was any holding as soon as the receiver left the line of scrimmage...however, it was definitely not holding or pass interference when the ball was in the air.. definitely a poor call to say the least.

however, the refs kinda screwed OSU over a bit.. when OSU had the ball on their last possession in regulation before miami tied the game.. the refs blew a call on a catch on the sidelines..it would have given OSU a first down and they probably would have been able to run out the clock from that point.

so, they blew a call in regulation that had a huge impact on the game and they blew a call in OT that had a huge impact on the game..i guess you call it even

[Drbio]

That was quite possibly the best football game I've ever watched....not just bowl or title game. It was really good.

[MavsManiac]

<< i didn't see if there was any holding as soon as the receiver left the line of scrimmage...however, it was definitely not holding or pass interference when the ball was in the air.. definitely a poor call to say the least.

however, the refs kinda screwed OSU over a bit.. when OSU had the ball on their last possession in regulation before miami tied the game.. the refs blew a call on a catch on the sidelines..it would have given OSU a first down and they probably would have been able to run out the clock from that point.

so, they blew a call in regulation that had a huge impact on the game and they blew a call in OT that had a huge impact on the game..i guess you call it even >>



Hmmm... with this post I might have to revise my Top 5 vote on your thread, Murph [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[Murphy3]

i'm not pro OSU or pro Miami..to be honest, i don't like either school.
the refs screwed up blatantly a couple of times late in the game.. once against OSU..if the correct call would have been made..osu wins the game in regulation.

and a screw up that went against miami in OT..if the correct call was made, miami won.

the fact is, OSU won and would have just as much of a gripe as miami has right now if the outcome was reversed

[Big Boy Laroux]

just wanted to add something here. TMQ from espn's page 2 wrote the following about the titans game this past weekend, but also included info about the buckeyes win:

link

Flag day
By Gregg Easterbrook
Page 2 columnist


&quot;For a game to be decided on that call is ludicrous,&quot; Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher fumed after Tennessee missed an overtime field goal but running-into-the-kicker gave the Titans their successful second try. Many Steelers and bobbleheads opined afterward that zebras should not make calls that decide games. Let the boys be the ones who settle the outcome of games, they said; hitting the kicker shouldn't be called in overtime unless it's completely outrageous. Likewise, many Hurricanes and bobbleheads fumed that officials should not have called defensive holding on Ohio State's fourth-down incompletion in overtime that would otherwise have given the University of Miami the national championship. Let the boys be the ones who settle the outcome, Hurricane supporters insisted; holding shouldn't be called on fourth down in overtime unless it's completely outrageous.



That flags should not fly on decisive plays numbers among the strangest contentions in sports. Of course officials shouldn't make bad calls on the final play, but they shouldn't make bad calls in a scoreless first quarter, either. Running into the kicker is illegal. It's illegal during a scoreless first quarter and it's illegal on the decisive play of overtime. Don't want a flag? Don't break the rules.


It would be one thing to argue that Dwayne Washington did not run into the kicker or that the Miami defender did not hold the Ohio State receiver -- that is, that the calls were wrong. But Pittsburgh can't argue this, because Washington plowed into Joe Nedney plenty good. If you made an officiating instructional tape to show what constitutes running into the kicker, you couldn't pick a better play as an exemplar. The Miami holding question is not as open-and-shut. TMQ thinks it was indeed holding, but has certainly seen the same action before without yellow floating by.


At any rate, the notion that officials should ignore penalties on game-deciding plays -- essentially, that everything becomes legal when the outcome is on the line -- is what's &quot;ludicrous.&quot; Want to legalize running into the kicker? Start a campaign for that. Don't tell me it should be legalized only when your team is trailing in overtime.


Just for fun, show this picture to Steeler fans.
It's equally &quot;ludicrous&quot; to contend that when flags fly on decisive plays this means the officials, rather than the players, are deciding the game. If the zebras had allowed Dwayne Washington to do something illegal, wouldn't that be deciding a playoff game in Pittsburgh's favor? If officials at the Fiesta Bowl had allowed defensive holding when Ohio State faced fourth down in overtime, wouldn't that be deciding a championship game in Miami's favor?


There are examples of bad calls that decided games, including Vinny Testaverde's 1998 Phantom Touchdown given to the Jets on a last play against Seattle and the Phantom Interference in the 1998 Buffalo-New England contest. For the latter, the Bills were flagged for interference in the end zone on a Hail Mary on the final play; the Pats scored on their bonus down to win, while replays clearly showed their Hail Mary receiver was never touched. That call was &quot;ludicrous&quot; because it was a bad call. But if there had been interference, of course a yellow hanky should have sailed. Just because it's the deciding play does not make infractions temporarily legal.


TMQ admires those officials who throw flags on the decisive downs of big games, so long as their flags are correct. These admirable officials don't stop doing their jobs just because they might be criticized. Also, they have to live with people like Bill Cowher using them as scapegoats for a team's inability simply to win on the field.

[Drbio]

Bill Cowher is a tool. If he could coach a lick and get the best out his players he wouldn't have to make excuses. He has done less with good teams than perhaps anyone in the NFL could have.

[LRB]

Doc: Got to disagree with you on this one. I really respect Cowher. I think he is an excellent motivator and a very good coach. He has had consitent success with the Steelers. I have a friend who plays for Cowher and I really hear some great things from him about what goes own behind the scenes for the Steelers. Cowher may not be the best coach, but I'd rate him as definitely one of the best.