Home Athletics Petition to Reprimand 10-24-2009 USC/OSU Officiating Crew

Petition to Reprimand 10-24-2009 USC/OSU Officiating Crew

72

Petition summary and background: Over the past several seasons, the officiating crew led by Jay Stricherz (i.e. Referee: Jay Stricherz; Umpire: Doug Wilson; Linesman: Edwin Walker; Line judge: Jeff Robinson; Back judge: M. Aaronian; Field judge: Jeffrey Bell; Side judge: Aaron Santi) has continually disgraced the PAC-10 conference with phantom penalties, non-calls on clear personal fouls, and overall poor officiating that has determined outcomes of both games and seasons. On October 24, 2009, their failure to call a personal foul on Taylor Mays of USC after he ripped Oregon States James Rodgers’ helmet off was the latest curious non-call; the play occurred in front of an official, and it is a call that must be made in order to discourage personal fouls that could result in injury or worse for the recipient of the blow. Earlier in the game the crew missed a dual horsecollar/facemask penalty. The officiating by this crew is beginning to make PAC-10 fans not only worry for their players’ safety, but also question the integrity of the conference and college football as a whole.

Action Petitioned For: We, the undersigned below, believe that the PAC-10 should review and reprimand these officials, strip them from any bowl game privileges, provide a public explanation of the findings from your review, and offer an apology to both the players and fans affected.

72 COMMENTS

  1. Signed by OSBeavs

    Btw,
    Jay Stricherez (sp?) has a history of poor officiating, especially around OSU games. He was the one with the missed call. It is inexcusable that a white hat could miss that call.

  2. This wasn’t just poor officiating – it was something else and it started early in the first quarter with a phantom offensive pass interference call on OSU. It’s pretty bad when even the national announcers repeatedly pick up on blatant no calls and phantom calls that favor USC.

    • Yes, but let’s stick to the facts–the blown calls. We can’t petition with conspiracy. You wind up losing credibility. I just want someone to look into this crew and explain it to PAC-10 fans. I see the same crew constantly missing blatant calls that people 3000 miles away sitting on a couch can see.

  3. Does anyone remember the crew that officiated the 07 OSU vs UW game? That game was the worst I have ever seen and those officials were suspended from bowl games. I could have sworn it was “Jay”

  4. I’m not a Beav fan, but a Pac-10 fan, tired of these calls. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but seems this is one area the SEC seemed to do better on than the Pac-10, they took action.

    Signed.

  5. Guys, I drafted the petition as you can see. It’s a bit rough and any exactitude that you can add please do so here and I’ll make the edits.

    In the meantime, I suggest writing Pac-10 commissionner, Larry Scott, and the Coordinator of Football Officiating, Dave Cutaia. Their email addresses are:

    lscott@pac-10.org

    dcutaia@pac-10.org

    The more complaints and in various forms the better.

  6. Signed – xcalifguy

    Also, doing a bit of browsing around, found this out of the LA Daily News, last paragraph of the article:

    “Perhaps Carroll’s complaints to the Pacific-10 Conference about officiating paid off. USC didn’t have its first penalty until 5:02 remained in the half, when tight end Rhett Ellison received a personal foul. Oregon State committed four penalties for 40 yards in that span.

    Coincidentally, Pac-10 supervisor of officials Dave Cutaia attended Saturday night’s game.”

    http://www.dailynews.com/ci_13637919?source=rss&source=rss_teams_Southern_California_Trojans#

      • Here’s what I was able to find about what Carroll was bitching about:

        “Carroll is more immediately concerned with finding ways to help defensive players recover fumbles and correcting the behavior that led to several costly penalties against the Fighting Irish.

        After reviewing game tape, however, Carroll said that two late-hit penalties against safety Taylor Mays “should not have been called.”

        Notre Dame is a nonconference game for the Trojans, but Carroll still contacted the Pacific 10 Conference to inquire about a fake field-goal play that the Irish ran to set up their first touchdown. Carroll said the play, which USC also used in the past, had been “outlawed” by the conference but was allowed by the Pac-10 officiating crew that worked the Notre Dame game.”

        Taken from LA Times article 10/19:
        http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-sp-usc-football-fyi19-2009oct19,0,5292470.story

      • And the irony is, the guy Adeniji blocked in the back actually made the tackle. The one gunner for the Beavs got taken out of the play.

  7. The only problem I see with the language is that you are saying the failure to call a penalty could have resulted in injury – the potential injury would have been caused by the player, not the officials. There may be a better way of wording this.

  8. When Mays did that after the catch was already well made I thought I was watching something from the graphic-novel inspired movie “300”. It looked like he could have paralyzed him and in a pulling on a facemask until you either rip off the helmet or head fashion. This is not Mortlal Kombat and these refs should be reprimanded.

  9. For the petition to have meaning you have to be claiming that the officials are (1) incompetent, or (2) actually biased, or (3) actually corrupt. If you’re saying (1), inasmuch as this is a pro-Beaver site, it just comes across as sour grapes. It needs to come from neutral observers. If you’re saying (2) or (3) then you have to have proof.

    • Generally I agree with you. I think the claim is incompetence fundamentally, the other two – although plausible – are impossible to prove. Focus should be on the Rodgers’ near-decapitation, as it was blatantly obvious to all who witnessed it. At the very least it demands an explanation due to the flagrancy of the ‘non-call.’ The other claims of poor calls, although potentially valid, will be passed off as judgment calls from the refs. Perhaps with enough of a public outcry on the Rodgers call, the Pac-10 may at least have to acknowledge and address the issue. That’s realistically the most we can probably hope for.

      Riley is the one who really needs to go after this, he’s in the best position to lodge the complaint, for valid reasons of safety of his players.

      • Bobby D has been pretty effective in the last couple of seasons lodging complaints to the conference. It seems that he got results after the last game against UW at Reser. Maybe it would help to direct some email his way too.

      • Interesting…watching this carefully, the “ripping the helmet off” occurs at about 0:53 on the timer in the YouTube video. Look at the ref – which direction he appears to be looking – off to his right. He never even sees the play, he was busy looking somewhere else (probably trying to find one of the Beavs OL holding or something). By the time he shifts his gaze to the play, the damage has already occurred. However, this doesn’t let the other officials off the hook who SHOULD have been watching this play carefully. :(

  10. Not to mention the crappy block in the back call in the 4th on OSU that had no impact on the play and was a brush more then anything….I think they need to call plays like the NBA….if a player bumps a player causing him to travel albeit lightly you have to call it…if the player doesn’t travel you have the ability to not call it….Since the player still made the tackle on Quizz cutting back the call was void…

    I am a duck fan and there was some crappy calls you always come to expect the home teams seem to get….#88’s first hands in the face call clearly showed the offense player at the same time and before him had the hands in the face of #88. That led to their first 3 points.

    I dont know to except this for the same thing that always happens to road teams regardless if this is USC, any pac 10 team, or any home team in general.

    Convince me this was so one-sided and poorly called that it differs from the norm on any given saturday game for a road team.

    All things aside mays should be dealt with by the conference on Monday, regardless of the refs lack of a call.

    • Just sign your name in the comment section here like everyone else. Or say “signed.”

      Yes it is for real. Hope to get 100 signatures before sending it in early in the week.

  11. I agree to the petition on the game officials. Further, if PAC-10 does not have the gumption to deal with their officials, they should at the very least sanction Pete Carroll and/or Taylor Mays for unnecessarily violent play.

    However, seeing how a similar incident happened two years ago that took Sean Canfield out of the game, and most of the next season, and nothing was done, don’t hold your breath on this one.

  12. I think you’re taking this a bit far. There were a few no-calls, but it wasn’t the game. In the end, the Defense lost this game; the secondary in particular. Get a stop on that last drive and the Offense more than likely comes back in and puts down the winning drive. Stop blaming this on the refs; blame this on the shitty defense.

    • I don’t think he’s petitioning because the Beavs lost, but because of the non-punishment of blatant unsportsmanlike behavior. At least that’s how I read it.

    • That logic makes no sense.

      First of all, I never blamed the outcome on the refs.

      But secondly, even if someone did, it would be a perfectly valid argument. I mean, USC couldn’t make any stops either–the Beavers had more defensive turnovers and more offensive yards than USC, so you have to ask, “why did they lose this game?”. The Beavers outperformed USC. But USC had a 12th man, and it wasn’t the home crowd. Just because your defense is bad and can’t stop the opponent it doesn’t mean you can’t place blame in one of two places it’s due. The first being the team defense, the second being the officials.

      Also, ask Bob Stoops about PAC-10 officiating and how 1 call can affect an entire season. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about…Oklahoma @ Oregon in 2006.

    • Sorry for your misinterpretation of this being a petition because we lost. Respectfully, I don’t believe this has anything to do with that. It is simple straight-up “when is enough, enough?”, when officials even miss a blatant and very serious foul that affects the safety of players; on our team, or anyone else’s.

  13. The officals need to held accountable for their calls/non-calls when it’s obvious to 99% of the people watching it was the INCORRECT CALL !!!! I’m a
    DUCK fan 1st but root Beavs second until the CW. It was obvious to me that the officals were not calling the game on a “level field” !!!

    Signed Quackerhead

  14. It’s embarrassing as a fan to watch Pac-10 games on TV to see the horrendus and inconsistent Pac-10 officials. Easilty the worst is college football.

    How many PI calls were NOT made on USC on 10/24/2009. 8? Yet one PI was called on a Beaver receiver when the ball was thrown out of bounds and was not catchable? That resulted in 2 non scores from inside the 20 yard line.

    How many horse collars? 2-3?

    Pac-10 officials are bush league.

  15. The refs were so bad that we turned it into a drinking game! It was by far worse against the Beavers, but the missed them for USC as well. It is sad to have to be apart of something so bad with what seems there is no answer from those who have the control.

  16. I agree, there were several poor decisions on the part of officials Sunday in LA. The non call on Mays was the worst. I saw a picture of an official stairing dead at that play and he didn’t even move. Mays clearly shivered the head gear off of James Rodgers head after he made the catch in the end zone. There were also a couple of hands to the face stiff arms not called on USC receivers. I’m sure there were missed calls on both sides, but some of these are inexcusable and just plain crappy officiating.

    Patrick

  17. Signed!! As for the flagrant non-call on Mays in the end-zone Rodgers
    could have been very seriously hurt!! Just as the TV commentator said
    it is “where you are at” give SC every possible benefit to win the game.
    Same thing at Oregon when we should have had a touchdown completion
    in the end zone in 2007, it is where you are at!! Pac-10 officiating is
    considered the poorest across the nation! Small wonder Pac-10 gets
    very little accredation nationally!! Get these zebra stripped duds off the
    field and put some creditable officials out there!!! Great game by Beaver offense-stinking game as usual by Beaver defense!! Losses to Cincy,
    Arizona and USC at hands of incompetent Beaver “D”!! Get Roberson
    or others to play defensive end(s) current D-ends STINK!!!!

  18. Signed. Wow, obvious call to make if your an official with integrity. Let this be about two teams competing and not about market share. PAC 10 officiating make a statement otherwise this will just get chalked up like game 6 of the western conference finals when Mike Bibby got a bloody nose from Kobe Bryant and then charged with a foul. Hmmm… How dare I suggest such a thing. I’ll just get laughed out of the room and called a conspiracy theorist.

  19. Signed. There is no excuse, NONE, for missing that call. And yes, the horse collar/face mask on Casey Kjos was also a complete whiff by the crew. PLEASE DO SOMETHING about this mess… It’s not like this is a first, second, third, fourth, …. …. time I’ve had to completely shake my head at the incompetence of Pac-10 officiating.

  20. Take a look at Kirkpatrick’s posts today. I know you normally view that site, there are a couple good images of clear missed calls during the game. This is more evidence to add to the incompetence of Pac10 refs. They are AP images I believe, those are probably valid to send to the commissioner as well.

    • Sorry, I meant to address that to angry, but for everyone else take a look. If you don’t know, just type in Cliff Kirkpatrick and blog in google, it should come up.

      • I saw those. I have to think the commissioner is aware of what happened.

        Let’s try to get 100 people sign by Wednesday. I’ll send it then, and I’ll post his reply or lack of.

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