Boren, Stoops speak out

President wants game stricken

By John Shinn

History will decide how Oklahoma’s 34-33 loss to Oregon will be viewed, but the debris from Saturday’s controversial ending was still falling Monday.

The day began with University of Oklahoma President David Boren sending a formal and public letter to Big 12 Conference Commissioner Kevin Weiberg, asking to him to pursue striking the game from the record books. Boren also insisted that Pacific-10 Conference officials involved in the game be suspended for the rest of the season.

“To describe the lapses in accurate officiating at the Oklahoma-Oregon football game last Saturday as constituting an outrageous injustice is an understatement,” Boren wrote.

The controversy surrounds two calls made in the final minute.

Down 33-27, the Ducks attempted and were ruled to have recovered an onside kick. But television replays indicate an Oregon player illegally touched the kick before it traveled the required 10 yards. Replays also showed OU’s Allen Patrick had recovered the ball and no Oregon player was officially credited with the recovery.

More controversy ensued one play later when OU’s Darien Williams was called for pass interference on a pass that replays clearly show was tipped at the line of scrimmage by the Sooners’ C.J. Ah You.

By rule, ther can be no pass interference following a tipped pass.

Both plays were given lengthy reviews by replay official Gordon Riese, but neither was overturned.

The Pac-10 Conference agreed with Boren and the entire crew was suspended for one game Monday.

“The fact that the errors on the onside kick altered the outcome of the game is most unfortunate and unsettling,” Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen said. “…It should be noted that not all of the seven officials were directly involved in the play in question, but the entire crew bears responsibility for every play. Game officials and replay officials have positions of great responsibility and must be accountable for their actions.

“Errors clearly were made and not corrected, and for that we apologize to the University of Oklahoma , Coach Bob Stoops and his players. They played an outstanding college football game, as did Oregon, and it is regrettable that the outcome of the contest was affected by the officiating.”

Stoops accepted the apology, but said it couldn’t bring back what was lost.

The loss knocked the Sooners down to No. 17 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll. Their chances of getting back into the national title hunt are slim at best.

Stoops believes Riese, who elected not to overturn the calls, should have faced a much stiffer penalty.

“I find it still absolutely inexcusable and unacceptable,” Stoops said. “In particular the people who had an opportunity to review it all and look at it and get it right. They chose not to.

“You discern whether a one-game suspension is appropriate for those individuals. I’m not talking about people in the heat of the moment out there in the middle of the chaos. I’m talking about people who, like every viewer at home, had an opportunity to see it. It’s not for me to decide what is appropriate, but I think it's fair to say that a one-game suspension compared to the way our season now is altered, I don’t know if that fits the situation.

“Like I said, I’ve made a million mistakes. In a game I’d love to have a chance to replay it and do it over. They get that opportunity, we don’t. To me again it’s just unacceptable and inexcusable.”

Pac-10 referees and replay officials were used in the game. It has been common practice in games between major conferences to use officials from the road team’s conference. But the Pac-10 has a rule that says only its officials will be used in Pac-10 non-conference home games.

Boren’s letter said the Big 12 should fight to have that rule changed.

“It is unfortunate that this incident marred a great college football game,” Weiberg said. “I can understand the disappointment of Coach Bob Stoops and his team, and we will continue to work for the national improvement of officiating programs.”

Whether or not those rules are changed will be determined at a later date. The one thing that remains clear is that Oklahoma lost 34-33 to Oregon, with the game-winning play coming when Oregon’s Brian Paysinger beat Sooner safety Nic Harris on pass play with 46 seconds left.

What Stoops what will never get over is that Harris had to answer all the questions about his mistakes, but the game officials have gone unquestioned.

“I get a 19-year-old kid who’s out there in front of the whole country and out there in front of 60,000 people who makes a mistake and gives up a play at the end,” Stoops said. “He’s got to talk to (media) and he’s a man and walks in the tunnel and talks to everybody and explains (himself). All parties involved should have to explain their actions to some degree you would think.

Thus far, only the players and coaches have.