Again, it’s not a game worth getting too deep in the weeds with, but I did watch most of the replay yesterday. Three bullet points:
- I reckon I’m in the minority on this, but I didn’t see anything that makes me change my mind about the targeting call on Moore. Which isn’t to say I think he was guilty of the penalty, just that he created too tempting a, er, target for the refs to ignore. I’m sure he’ll say the flag won’t change the way he plays. That’s fine, but don’t be surprised if the same situation generates the same result.
- On the other hand, the ruling that Herrera fumbled the ball on his interception was a complete joke, no ifs, ands or buts.
- I should have mentioned it in my Observations post, but I thought the play of the game was Aaron Murray’s 23-yard run that led to Georgia’s first touchdown of the second half. Aside from picking up the first down and keeping the drive alive, it energized the crowd and the team. Georgia would score four touchdowns after his run; ASU gained a total of 29 yards from that point on.
Get The Picture 
The Murray run was awesome. I showed it to the wife on the replay and she was like “whoa, who is that”…exactly.
Murray has a couple of great runs this year. Hope he gets a couple more good ones this weekend.
LikeLike
Sounds like my wife … mine says “whoa, who is that” on practically every play!
LikeLike
My wife didn’t know AM was white until the Florida game.
The 2013 Florida game!
LikeLike
The Herrera call was a bigger outrage than ejecting Moore. Everyone from the announcers to the old cheerleaders could see the ground caused that fumble, except for the cretinous officials.
If we got a few of these insane calls go OUR way, I would be less murderous about it, but they all go against Georgia.
LikeLike
I think the refs are “TARGETING” UGA and have been since about 1997.It has just become more brazen and blatant since 2007 Jacksonville. Now they have a convenient penalty to hide behind. It is a frigging shame the SEC has a billion dollar product ruled by 25 cent arbiters.
LikeLike
If by “arbiters” you mean “flaming asshole crooks” then I agree with your post entirely.
LikeLike
The Herrera call should get the replay official suspended or sent to Boise for a bowl game. When Bob Neal is shocked at the call, that was enough for me. If I hadn’t had two sleeping puppies in my lap, I would have been raising hell about it. If I had made it to Athens, I probably would have busted a blood vessel.
LikeLike
Fastest “review” since the Wooten catch in the endzone against Florida. Both were under fifteen seconds.
LikeLike
I didn’t hear enough griping about that Wooten TOUCHDOWN. I thought that was 100% BS. I’m usually pretty slow to cry foul with the officials or argue with a call that could go either way, but on his second effort he had control of the ball and a toe in the end zone.
LikeLike
I agree that he probably caught the ball in-bounds in Jacksonville. The problem is the standard for a reversal – no replay should incontrovertible evidence that he had control.
The Herrera fumble was a completely different animal where it’s clear that ball comes out after his elbow on the ground. Just a terrible call.
LikeLike
Anybody know who the TV ref was for the Appy State game?
LikeLike
The replay official was Rocky Goode. He actually was a pretty decent on-field ref a few years back.
LikeLike
One interesting tidbit from the game that I haven’t really seen anyone mention……….I think that was the first time I’ve ever seen a team pull off a triple pass. If I have seen it before, I can’t remember it. I think it got first down yardage for them but I was glad we didn’t get suckered in for a big play.
LikeLike
Swann stayed with his assignment on that side of the field. While the pass was completed, he did exactly what he was supposed to do. He has raised his level of play the last few weeks.
LikeLike
You reference an example of what coaches attempt to convey to their pupils … stay in your lane, assignment, etc. and the law of averages will swing your way. On Sunday, I was half-watching an NFL game and the announcers talked a bit about staying in your lane will usually prevent you from being bitten by the sneaky plays.
LikeLike
Amazing what happens when players, to use Little Nicky’s phrase, “do their job.” While that pass was completed, I was glad Swann was in the right place to limit the yards after the catch rather than freelancing to try to make a big play and have the receiver get behind him for a TD.
LikeLike
Regarding your targeting observation, I don’t disagree that it would be called 85% of the time, but it is this added level of protection that makes these new “protect the players” calls so unpopular. I don’t minimize the need to take strong action to stop dirty, cheap shots but the refs are now adding a an additional layer of protection that is hurting the game. Almost any strong impact causes an official to begin reaching for a flag, then he has to “talk himself” out of throwing it, even if he us unsure there is a foul. That extra layer are the ones we all talk about.
For years we have seen flags fly when a hit occurs within 1-2 yards of a sideline and the continuation of the play carries it out of bounds. I have no problem with a hit that occurs clearly out of bounds, but one inch in bounds is enough to score, or pick up additional yards. A player with the ball should protect himself until he reaches the safety of being clearly out of bounds and have given up any attempt to gain additional yardage. Same with a QB on roughing the passer, flags now fly if a player’s hand contacts the QB’s helmet in any way, even a miniscule “tap” as his hand falls downward from attempting to bat a pass down. An official should use some discretion about that, same as a player slowing his rush and just grabbing a QB to stop themselves. More contact is allowed in basketball than is in some 15 yard plays in football these days and it hurts the game. It is like a police officer writing tickets for being 1 MPH over the speed limit.
The “targeting” calls that were upheld against Drew and Moore are examples of how officials, and their instructions to deliberately over react, have gone too far. It was bad enough to make the call, but for the booth to uphold it says all you need to know that changes have to be made. But I agree with you Senator, while few officials would have made the Drew call, most would have made the call on Moore just because it was “spectacular” (the same reason Wilson got flagged against Vandy and cost us a W.) My problem with that is this concerns the amount of “hit” or “violence” involved in the contact and there is no place for that level of judgment in football without changing the game significantly (love taps and inadvertent bumping excepted).
LikeLike
If the rules committee doesn’t go back and review the targeting rule in the offseason, it’s clear that the attorneys at the NCAA are running the show. The flag didn’t come out on Moore until the crowd reacted. If that call had been made in front of the UGA bench instead of the ASU bench, that official would have had Richt in his ear the rest of the day.
LikeLike
The fans seem to be upset about all these calls against the Dawgs going on for a while. It’s just the powers at Butts-Mehre who affect some changes seem just sitting on their butts as they say.
LikeLike
What are they supposed to do other than send the tape in and ask for a discussion with Shaw? I would like for Richt to call them out in a press conference, but that’s asking for a fine (which the Dawgnation would probably be willing to pay from a collection) or for more of the same.
LikeLike
Please get fined. I’d love to see Richt get fined for calling out officiating. He held his tongue after the Vandy game, and he shouldn’t have.
LikeLike
Missouri’s Coach Pinkel spoke after the Georgia game and it paid off for him the following week.
LikeLike
“Working the refs is a time honored art form.”–Steve Spurrier.
LikeLike
The WSB broadcast was a joke. I went back to my DVR as soon as I got home because I wanted to see the pass interference penalties on that painful ordeal of Appy’s missed field goal drive. They didn’t show a replay of either one!!! It was amazing. I know they had other cameras in the stadium because they had replays of other plays. But two huge calls that I felt were BS watching live? No replay. I’m not surprised this is a short “further review” piece…. there isn’t much to review from that broadcast that was different from watching from the stands.
LikeLike
I tell ya what I thought was one of Murray’s most amazing plays, maybe of his career….the throw, off balance, off his back foot on the move for a TD that was called back cause he was past the stripe.
Poetry in motion…reminded me of ….well….Sully.
LikeLike
If you can land a partially functioning plane full of people on the Hudson and not suffer a single broken bone, that throw was a piece of cake. But I think both men in the comparison are great leaders and deserving of our trust when they are at the helm.
LikeLike
Mac I am pretty sure I can do neither, so I will just remain in awe of the guys who did them.
LikeLike
Hutson or Hudson?
LikeLike
One is a river, the other is a savior…and legend has it he is even better than our current starting QB who holds all the important SEC passing records. I hope the legend comes true, he will get his shot at Clemson next summer.
LikeLike
Thinking about comparing Aaron and Pat Sullivan…gives me a goosebump…this is going to be a long week…We gotta be really careful not to peak too early.
I will try to consult with Larry about this later.
LikeLike
“On the other hand, the ruling that Herrera fumbled the ball on his interception was a complete joke, no ifs, ands or buts.”
What got to me is that the crew chief (again, the same one from FairleyGate ’10) barely whispered that the call was “upheld,” as if he wanted to get away with something.
LikeLike
That’s true. I was at the game and did not hear them say anything about reviewing it. I thought that someone they did not and wondered aloud if it was a reviewable play.
LikeLike
The thing about Moore’s hit is this… If we have a choice of hitting a guy in a fundamentally appropriate way to stop the play OR a way that might get us a flag, we often pick the latter. Commentors on this blog have been saying for years that we hit too high, don’t wrap up, don’t take appropriate angles, etc. Its a fundamental issue that is deeper than this single penalty. Warren Belin ‘hit’ on this when he was an assistant.
LikeLike
I didn’t think Moore’s hit wasn’t appropriate. You could make the case that the ball wasn’t going to be caught, so he shouldn’t have hit him at all. But the hit itself appeared to be clean and within the rules other than the Ooohs and Aaahs from the crowd and that it was in front of the App State bench.
LikeLike
If I’m CMR I tell Grantham and the D to go low the rest of this year. If Moore had hit the receiver low and flipped him there never would have been a targeting call.
LikeLike
The Herrera “fumble” was absolute, total bullshit. Somebody paid the replay guy off.
LikeLike
How much do you want to bet the replay official was Al Ford?
LikeLike
Rocky Goode
LikeLike