It hasn’t been a pretty conference schedule for South Carolina. As if facing defending champs LSU wasn’t enough Saturday, they had to deal with some extra shenanigans. In a crucial red zone possession late in the first half, the Gamecocks had to line up against 12 defenders. Why didn’t the ref throw a flag? Because the ref was the 12th man.
[UPDATE: We have an ID on the ref. It’s Wilbur Hackett, Jr., and he was a linebacker at Kentucky.]
(”Referee mad…referee smash!”)
USC QB Stephen Garcia might have had an easy path to the end zone, if not for one zebra who got a little too caught up in the bloodlust that is American Football. (You might’ve seen this already. But have you seen it in Super-Slo-Mo-What-The-Heck-Is-He-Thinking-O-Vision™?)
Let’s break down the tape. Despite the outcries of the Gamecock faithful, the official did not tackle him. At the most, let’s give him an assisted tackle, and that’s with a generous stat crew. That ref has good footwork, matching Garcia’s jukes and fakes and putting himself in a position to bring him down. But, likely having played too much Madden and becoming enamored with the truck stick, he tried for a highlight-reel forearm tackle. You’ve got to wrap up the legs there!
Despite the clear lack of fundamentals, some USC fans are hoping their scouts had their eyes open on that play: (via the FANHOUSE)
The ref is a 3 star. 6′1″ 210 lbs. A little slow but he has us in his top five right now. Too bad we are full a LB this year!
It’s been a rough year for football referees (see Ed Hochuli, above, but don’t make eye contact). But I never would have guessed that Ed would be the one to affect a game passively, while some nobody from the SEC puts in his bid to make the hits of the week segment on SportsCenter.
All right, the umpire probably didn’t take down Garcia on purpose. Alternate camera angles clearly show that he was trying to avoid onrushing LSU linebackers, and was faked out by Garcia’s moves - the forearm was just to cushion the inevitable collision. But if thinking that there’s some grand conspiracy penetrating the highest levels of the NCAA, and that the dark alliance is constantly plotting against South Carolina, if thinking that raises Steve Spurrier’s blood pressure, I say we all just go with the story.
3:45 pm on October 20th, 2008
Anything to aggravate the Ol' Ball Coach is fine with me.
3:47 pm on October 20th, 2008
Looks like something out of those Buffalo Wild Wings commercials.
3:48 pm on October 20th, 2008
What did you expect the ref to do? There was no escaping from the immediate path of the Gamecock runner.
Besides, he had 20 bucks riding on this game.
3:50 pm on October 20th, 2008
Would you consider the ref's move a Cock Block?
3:51 pm on October 20th, 2008
Vince McMahon is signing the ref to a WWE contract as we speak.
3:54 pm on October 20th, 2008
Your use of USC confuses me. The real USC plays at the Los Angeles Memorial Colisum.
3:56 pm on October 20th, 2008
You mean Chris Smelley is no longer QB for South Carolina? So no more Smelley 'Cock jokes?
Today is a sad day, indeed.
4:03 pm on October 20th, 2008
Seems like the ref was looking right at the quarterback before delivering his forearm. Sure looks like it was blatant. Not that South Carolina needed any help in self-destructing.
4:11 pm on October 20th, 2008
Someone should have thrown a flag, even one from the stands like in that BC-VT game.
4:14 pm on October 20th, 2008
That ref has to be related to Ed Hochuli.
7:55 pm on October 20th, 2008
Judging by the uniform in that top photo, that has to be a Detroit Lions player. Makes sense, since they've been playing like their heads were cut off.
9:54 am on October 21st, 2008
I officiated football for 16 years and the umpire definately screwed up. He clearly advanced towards the runner instead of staying in one position and turning his body with the play. While the rules state that officials are part of the field of play, they're supposed to get out of the way and let the play continue and not take an active part in the result of the play.
2:28 pm on October 21st, 2008
As a University of Kentucky graduate I can say that I know the hit was unintentional, there is no evidence that any UK player could ever make a clean tackle like that.