Worst Calls Ever to go For Michigan
February 26th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
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February 26th, 2015 at 9:21 AM ^
February 26th, 2015 at 9:31 AM ^
would have been much preferred.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:08 AM ^
later I still feel bad for the guy. That fuck-up is the sort of thing that can drive a man to heroin addiction and homelessness.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^
...or force him to alienate himself from his university.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:26 AM ^
several 10s of thousands of dollars (at a minimum) from Ed Martin then complain to Big Ears Mitch that he couldn't afford pizza. Then, with the benefit of his timeout, he was driven to lie to the FBI and never take even partial responsibility for his behavior. He is currently being driven to pout like a toddler every time the issue of his relationship with Michigan is raised.
The excessive swagger is excused if not celebrated (it never came with the intelligence of, say, Ali's and was more akin to the behavior or Johnson's Miami [ytm] teams)... The initial cheating, the subsequent lying, and the current pouting is much more challenging. I don't feel sorry for the guy.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
it wasn't Pizza. He just had to downsize to a 2 peice chicken meal and one fish sandwich, if I remember correctly.
February 26th, 2015 at 1:01 PM ^
He did receive some very richly flavored cakes though.
February 26th, 2015 at 1:42 PM ^
Actually, yeah... I finally found one I agree with. CWebb travelled like a mofo, he did. But like the Clowney hit, the universe corrected the call almost immediately. Has the universe EVER corrected the phantom TD yet, 35 years later!!??
February 26th, 2015 at 10:16 AM ^
MBB vs Tennessee in Sweet 16. The last 2 minutes of that game were pure craziness and we came out on top.
Also the Aaron Craft no-call. That was all sorts of Schadenfreude of the best kind.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^
Those two incorrect fumble rulings at the game in Champaign in 2000. I believe the Big Ten issued an apology the following week. Michigan won 35-31. Not a huge game, but IIRC the errors were pretty obvious to everyone but the officials and would have all but ensured an Illini win. Michigan also ended up that season tied atop the Big Ten (with Northwestern and Purdue), so a loss would have bumped them down to 3rd in the conference.
February 26th, 2015 at 12:09 PM ^
for one of those Thomas fumbles was that a defeder was pulling his helmet around by the facemask. If the penalty had been properly called there wouldn't have been a fumble anyway. Big Ten failed to mention that in their rush to apologize.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:25 AM ^
While were in Harbaugh mode . . . 1986 Notre Dame: (Holtz's first ND game) TD by Notre Dame in the back of the end zone that was called out of bounds. There was no replay, so that was it.
We won 24-23 so that was the difference maker.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:41 AM ^
lounge. Then the ND kicker missed the 40-something yard field goal to lose it. God I was drunk.
February 26th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
drinking SoCo and cider for the first time. Let's just say "I spilled the donuts."
...saw the finish though. It was glorious.
February 26th, 2015 at 3:44 PM ^
ND fans try to make this out as a bad call, but the receiver's first foot to land was out of bounds.
In that '85 1 vs. 2 game at Iowa, the Hawks had an obvious touchdown catch ruled no good. The Anthony Thomas non-fumble at Illinois was pretty clutch, too.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^
I had Illinois friends at the time, and oh God, that single play was the whole reason their team fell apart that year and it was the greatest travesty in sports history. Illinois fans have an incredible hatred toward Michigan, probably since the '89 final four game, and that call put more fuel on the fire for them.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:34 AM ^
That immediately came to mind. A Train fumbled. See my quote from John Heisman himself.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:25 AM ^
We are Michigan. We deserve ALL calls going our way.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:29 AM ^
February 26th, 2015 at 9:32 AM ^
Anthony Thomas's "non-fumble" in the 4th was pretty questionable...went on to punch it in and win the game.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:23 AM ^
February 26th, 2015 at 9:33 AM ^
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February 26th, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^
February 26th, 2015 at 10:19 AM ^
That was IU coach Bill Lynch. Tied up ball between receiver and Donovan Warren (?) ruled an interception. That play possibly belongs in the thread in its own right.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:11 AM ^
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February 26th, 2015 at 9:38 AM ^
What a complete joke of a call.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:36 AM ^
like a situation where he had to have fouled him to have made a play on the ball. That is why I just can't bring myself to blame the official that much. The play required incredible spring, impeccible body control and perfect timing. 9 times out of 10 that block cannot be executed without a foul. I think the ref blew the whistle assuming this was going to be 1 of those 9.
God was that a great play though.
February 26th, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
In isolation, yeah if that had been the only bad call you could say that. But that was about the 10th horrible call that had gone directly against Michigan. The Big East refs, consciously or not were giving Louisville every close call.
February 26th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
Yeah, that play was phenomenal, which almost made the blown call feel worse. It was bad enough that the ref got it wrong. But to have Trey make such an incredibly athletic play, get a clean block ... and THEN get called anyway? It didn't just feel like blown call - it felt like, in spite of his effort, he got cheated.
But in retrospect, I can understand it a little better. The ref wasn't calling the play - he was calling the expectation of the play. It's much like in baseball, when the catcher's throw beats the runner, but the runner slides in under the tag - and gets called out anyway. The ump expected the runner to be out, so that's what he called him. It's not fair at all, but it's somewhat understandable.
February 26th, 2015 at 12:11 PM ^
was series of joke calls. The Big East refs were such fucking homers. WIth non Big East refs, Michgain wins that game so easily.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:48 AM ^
Can we have one completely happy thread plz?
February 26th, 2015 at 11:31 AM ^
People also tend to forget a blatant goaltend by Louisville on a Hardaway shot in the 1st half. Those two plays basically meant Michigan was down 6 in the last minute instead of a possession. Changed the game.
February 26th, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^
And the fact that Luke Hancock's 5th foul was mistakenly given to someone else allowing him to stay in, hit another 3, and draw McGary's 4th (sending him to the bench)
February 26th, 2015 at 12:13 PM ^
and yes. two of them WERE almost exclusively Big East refs, were so blatelntly cheating for Louisville that I can't beleive there wasn't an investigation into the game.
February 26th, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
I can't stand Pitino's style of play. Its basically all about pressure pressure pressure and getting away with as many fouls as possible. I would love to see a chart of L'ville games tracking fouls called vs. chance of winning...
February 26th, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^
They win when the refs swallow their whistle. And those 2 BIg East refs that AMAZINGLY got assigned to the title game had like the two lowest foul calling rates in the entire country.
IMAGINE THAT.
As soon as I saw who they had assigned to officiate the game, I knew we were f***ed. Didn't know if things were rigged or not, but it sure looked like it. And when things went down the way they did, with all of those "mistakes" helping Louisville (no goaltend, assigning fouls wrong, etc. etc.) it sure seemed like it.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^
Va Tech was a 50-50 call, it wasn't terrible. And you mention it in the OP, but I bring it up when people say "lucky!": the game wasn't over on that play. Lots of anti-Michigan fans have it in their mind replaying as the game winner for Va Tech. It wasn't, Michigan was going to get the ball on the next series of OT. It was a pivotal play at a crucial juncture, but it wasn't decisive - there was more football to play.
PSU extra second qualifies under this criteria. And for the calls against, the trip of Howard and clockgate at Sparty were much worse. Charles White fumble happened in the 2nd quarter. Absolutely a critical play, but way too much game left for that to be the deciding factor.
February 26th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^
Michigan getting to keep the ball on Sunday was a pretty bad call. Still think we win, but it was the wrong call.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^
February 26th, 2015 at 9:45 AM ^
The one where they lost the ball was iffy. Questionable mechanism of losing the ball, the running back's helmet and then arm hit the ground before the ball came out, plus he appeared to recover it on the ground but Norman Boebert must have pulled it away from him in the pile.
Two plays later, Anthony Thomas fumbled but was ruled down, that was pretty bad. Ball out well before his knee hit the ground. Thomas scored the go-ahead TD on the next play.
Of course then Illinois had 2:30 to try for another TD but Todd Howard forced another fumble near midfield on Illinois' second play. No replay available online that I can see but it looks a bit iffy also.
Fourteen years later, Illinois fans are still cursing about this game.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:00 AM ^
2002, Washington at michigan
Braylon flat out dropped a pass on 4th down, another WR threw himself on the ball like it was a fumble, which was enough to convince the refs that it was one. Miracle first down.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:59 AM ^
Came here to say this one. That play was right in front of the student section and I couldn't believe they called it a catch/fumble. Such a great day. Home opener. Perfect weather, sunny 75 degrees, clear skies. Game winnning FG vs a top 10 opponent. Really set the bar for September games in my mind.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:02 AM ^
Come to think of it, it was a rare August game.
February 26th, 2015 at 11:32 AM ^
as did Alexander before him. Made up for many of them with their ability to catch the ball (way) away from their bodies.
February 26th, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^
February 26th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^
Shawn Crable made a legal hit on Troy Smith and the ref threw a Wendys napkin on the field. We had momentum and they were about to punt to us. Instead they got the yardage with a fresh set of downs and the rest is history.
edit: Wrong thread
February 26th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
Somehow that goal review against Nebraska-Omaha went our way, but Michigan should not have won an NCAA tournament game like that. They were looking under the goalies pad at a puck on the goal line using the camera from the other side of the ice to make the call.
There were two views that both showed the puck in the net; one was the from the camera on the opposite side, the other was from the camera directly above the goal. Even if only the former existed, why shouldn't that be used to make the correct call?