Big 12 admits blown call in Mizzou game

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor


ALAN SCHER ZAGIER

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. - This time, Big 12 officials blew the call.
The league's supervisor of officials admitted Monday that the crew working Saturday's Missouri-Iowa State game made a wrong call that nullified what would have been the go-ahead touchdown late in the Tigers' 21-16 loss to the Cyclones.
Walt Anderson, who heads the Big 12 officials, apologized to Missouri coach Gary Pinkel for the error and said his crew "made a mistake" when offensive lineman Monte Wyrick was called for holding on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 26 seconds left in the game.
The call wiped out a touchdown run by quarterback Chase Daniel that would have given Missouri (7-4, 3-4) a 22-21 lead. On the next play - fourth-and-goal from the 11 after the 10-yard penalty was marked off - Daniel was sacked and the game ended.
Pinkel said Anderson told him the officiating crew "blew it."
"He said to me, 'If you call that (holding) you have to call it 40 times a game,'" Pinkel said. "For him to admit that, it said a lot about him and the integrity of the conference office."
Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg acknowledged in a written statement that Anderson's videotape review of the disputed call concluded it was "incorrect."
It's not the first time this season a conference has admitted its officials made a game-changing error. In September, the Pacific-10 suspended a replay crew that failed to overturn a call on an onside kick that set up Oregon's game-winning final drive against Oklahoma.
The Pac-10 determined that Oregon's recovery of the onside kick should have been disallowed because the Ducks touched the ball before it went the required 10 yards. Instead, Oregon scored a last-minute touchdown to win 34-33.
It was unclear Monday whether any action would be taken against the crew from the Missouri-Iowa State game.
While Pinkel appreciated Anderson's candor, he was still upset for his players Monday.
"That victory was taken away from them," Pinkel said. "It has bowl ramifications. It has financial ramifications."
Saturday's loss was another controversial last-minute heartbreaker for the Tigers, who fell victim to a fifth down that helped Colorado win in 1990 and a deflected, kicked pass in the end zone that helped Nebraska to a 45-38 overtime win in 1997.
The loss came a day after Pinkel had been given a three-year contract extension and a $255,000 raise. The new five-year deal, effective Jan. 1, extends Pinkel's contract through 2011 and increases his guaranteed annual income to $1.3 million.
 
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