Everyone at this school should be familiar with the terrible officiating that plagues the Big Ten. But apparently the trend has moved southward.
Officials in the Southeastern Conference made a major mistake and may have cost Vanderbilt a chance to beat Florida Saturday.
Commodores receiver Earl Bennett scored a touchdown with only 54 seconds left in the game to cut the Gators lead to 35-34. Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson was going to go for a two-point conversion, but officials flagged Bennett with an excessive celebration penalty, a 15-yarder, and it forced Johnson to go for the kick and a tie instead of a one-point lead.
Johnson later called the penalty "stupid" and was visibly very angry on the sideline as it was called.
And rightfully so.
The call was stupid. Bennett spun around moved his hip and his arm to start "dancing" and then chest bumped a teammate.
That constitutes a penalty?
Have college officials ever seen an NFL game?
What Bennett did is little kid stuff compared to the things Chad Johnson does or Terrell Owens used to do.
Would Vanderbilt have won the game on that try and held Chris Leak and company for the final 54 seconds? No one knows. And it's a shame that we didn't get the opportunity to find out.
Florida ended up winning in double overtime, 49-42.
I have only ever seen that called once in the last few years. Penn State wideout Terrell Golden was called for a celebration penalty last year against Purdue. College kids don't usually have the ego that NFL stars do, and if they do, their coaches usually keep them in check.
I am an "old school" kind of person, and I hate all the extracurricular activities that happen. Chest bumping is one thing, but dancing for five minutes is another. I can stand the chest bumps, and they have every right to be excited scoring touchdowns, especially when lowly teams like Vanderbilt (they haven't been to a bowl since 1982) have a shot to beat a team like Florida.
Therefore the officials were too quick on that flag. Let the kids play, especially with such little time on the clock.
Far too often, the officials influence the outcome of the game, something they shouldn't do. They are only there to enforce the rules and make sure players aren't cheating.
Chest bumping does not constitute cheating in my book, but maybe it does in the SEC officials' handbook.
Congratulations
Quarterback Brad Smith from Missouri passed former Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El for the most rushing yards by a quarterback with 3,907. The old mark was 3,895. Smith is also 93 yards away from being the first player in Division I-A history to throw for 8,000 yards and rush for 4,000. Judging by Smith's career he should be enjoying some success on Sundays next fall.
No Moss
Miami will be without its starting running back, Tyrone Moss, for the rest of the season. He was injured in the 27-7 win over Virginia Tech Saturday. His replacement, Charlie Jones, racked up 97 yards for the Hurricanes. While a big blow (Moss had 701 yards this season), Miami will be all right.
Game of the Week
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 5 LSU.
This one should come as no surprise as the pick for the game of the week.
That being said, Alabama is overrated. The Crimson Tide has scored one offensive touchdown in its last three conference games, including a 6-3 win over Tennessee.
LSU is in the midst of a six-game win streak after a 1-1 start.
Both teams have great defenses, and it has been working for 'Bama, but the Tigers' offense is better, and it gives them the edge. They will once again be causing a stir in the BCS standings come Monday.
LSU 28, Alabama 14.
Here's hoping the refs stay out of this one.
