Sunday, September 25, 2005

New rule: Ball not needed for touchdown

It was bad enough watching a 41-29 lead melt away, but BYU fans had an even harder time losing in the end to Texas Christian because of a muffed call.

In one of the most exciting BYU football games of the past few years, TCU "scored" a touchdown in overtime to beat the Cougars 51-50. It was a pretty neat trick, considering TCU didn't even have possession of the ball. As television footage and photographic evidence (such as this photo) clearly show, TCU's Cory Rodgers lost the ball before crossing the goal line. The game should have ended with a touch-back and a Cougar victory. Apparently Mountain West Conference refs and instant replay judges were not able to see what every television viewer and many in the stadium could plainly see and TCU escaped with a hard-fought, although ill-gained win.

Good football teams find a way to win and the Horned Frogs -- despite the goofy name -- are good. BYU showed flashes of brilliance -- including 641 yards of offense, 517 yards through the air, and 32 first downs -- but the team didn't play well enough to keep the win out of the hands of the men in stripes.

Most people understand that referees are not perfect -- they're always the goats in the minds of the losing team's fans. However, thanks to the Mountain West Conference's new instant replay policy, BYU had two previous boneheaded calls reversed, suggesting that this referee crew needs to be sent somewhere for remedial training.

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The opinions stated here are my own and in no way reflect those of Brigham Young University, its students, faculty, or sponsoring institution.