Published September 18, 2006 11:47 am - Saturday, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops reserved judgment on a pair of controversial calls in OU’s 34-33 loss to Oregon.
But Sunday he showed his disgust with two calls that went against the Sooners, while replays showed they shouldn’t have.
The day after
Stoops talks officiating
John Shinn
The Norman Transcript
NORMAN — Saturday, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops reserved judgment on a pair of controversial calls in OU’s 34-33 loss to Oregon.
But Sunday he showed his disgust with two calls that went against the Sooners, while replays showed they shouldn’t have.
“I’m incredibly disappointed in that the instant replay was brought up to eliminate issues like this,” Stoops said. “Here are a number of issues, looking at the video, that were wrong.”
The plays in question were an onside kick and pass interference call in the game’s final minute.
Stoops believes an Oregon player interfered with OU’s chance to recover an onside kick by touching the ball before it traveled 10 yards.
Replays showed Oregon’s Brian Paysinger had done just that, but replay officials elected not to overturn the play. The reviews also appeared to show Oregon didn’t even recover the ball. No player was given credit for the recovery. OU’s Allen Patrick emerged from the pile with it.
“I see my guy stepping up inside of 10 yards to go up and gain reception, gain possession of the football, I see their guy go in front of him and hit the football before my guy is allowed to at 10 yards and I see him collide with my guy inside of 10 yards as well,” Stoops said.
“That’s illegal touching and interfering with the reception. And then I see my guy get up with the football that’s laying on the ground.”
The play gave Oregon possession and set up the its game-winning drive.
Two plays later, OU safety Darien Williams was called for pass interference on a pass replays showed was tipped at the line of scrimmage by defensive end C.J. Ah You.
Replay officials also let that one go, and one play later, Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon found Paysinger for a 23-yard touchdown.
Despite the calls, Stoops doesn’t want to see replay taken out of college football.
“I would hope not,” he said. “Even though they acted as they did, at least the whole country and everybody sees what really happened.”
It was the second time in six games his team has lost due to controversial instant-replay rulings.
Last season against Texas Tech, three of the 12 plays on the Red Raiders’ game-winning drive were reviewed, including a fourth-down spot that would have ended the game in OU’s favor and a 2-yard touchdown run by Taurean Henderson that gave the Red Raiders the win.