Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
One of the last things Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said to me when I bid adieu to him late Saturday night in Starkville was “that ball better not have been loose when I look at the tape.”
Guess what?
When you look at the tape and the several different angles of Dustin Doe’s fumble on replay, the ball does appear to be out of his hand before he crossed the goal line.
Now, does it rise to the level of being conclusive video evidence? I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.
Mullen already has, and he’s fighting mad. Who could blame him?
Mississippi State is now 0-for-2 this season on replay calls. At least, this one was reviewed, even though it doesn’t appear the replay official got it right.
The one against Houston where quarterback Tyson Lee was called for being across the line of scrimmage on the fourth-down pass wasn’t even reviewed.
“I don't know why we even have replay right now in the Southeastern Conference if they are not going to utilize it,” Mullen said Sunday during his teleconference. “That's twice that they've blown calls on the replay with our games resulting in big plays, and I think that's inexcusable for that official.
“I mean, I hope he is severely punished, if he ever works another SEC game again, because I think it’s completely unacceptable. I can understand making a bad call in a live speed on a game like the offsides call. There's no excuse for a guy that has the amount of time to replay the video to make sure they get the call right. That's why we do instant replay, and I think it's embarrassing that they blew that call.”
One thing’s for sure: Mullen can probably expect some type of reprimand, and something tells me he’ll gladly accept one for being able to get off his chest what he wanted to say.
In these situations, it’s always more important for coaches to stand up for their players.
The bigger issue, though, is that SEC officiating is coming under attack like never before. That's the last thing any conference wants.
Every week, there’s a different coach throwing haymakers at the league officials.
It’s a serious problem SEC commissioner Mike Slive better address one way or the other before it gets completely out of hand. He's already taken the unprecedented step of publicly suspending an entire officiating crew following its gaffes in the Georgia-LSU and Florida-Arkansas games.
What's next?
One of the last things Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said to me when I bid adieu to him late Saturday night in Starkville was “that ball better not have been loose when I look at the tape.”
Guess what?
When you look at the tape and the several different angles of Dustin Doe’s fumble on replay, the ball does appear to be out of his hand before he crossed the goal line.
 | |
| Don McPeak/US Presswire | |
| Dan Mullen will likely hear from the SEC after his recent comments about officiating. |
Now, does it rise to the level of being conclusive video evidence? I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.
Mullen already has, and he’s fighting mad. Who could blame him?
Mississippi State is now 0-for-2 this season on replay calls. At least, this one was reviewed, even though it doesn’t appear the replay official got it right.
The one against Houston where quarterback Tyson Lee was called for being across the line of scrimmage on the fourth-down pass wasn’t even reviewed.
“I don't know why we even have replay right now in the Southeastern Conference if they are not going to utilize it,” Mullen said Sunday during his teleconference. “That's twice that they've blown calls on the replay with our games resulting in big plays, and I think that's inexcusable for that official.
“I mean, I hope he is severely punished, if he ever works another SEC game again, because I think it’s completely unacceptable. I can understand making a bad call in a live speed on a game like the offsides call. There's no excuse for a guy that has the amount of time to replay the video to make sure they get the call right. That's why we do instant replay, and I think it's embarrassing that they blew that call.”
One thing’s for sure: Mullen can probably expect some type of reprimand, and something tells me he’ll gladly accept one for being able to get off his chest what he wanted to say.
In these situations, it’s always more important for coaches to stand up for their players.
The bigger issue, though, is that SEC officiating is coming under attack like never before. That's the last thing any conference wants.
Every week, there’s a different coach throwing haymakers at the league officials.
It’s a serious problem SEC commissioner Mike Slive better address one way or the other before it gets completely out of hand. He's already taken the unprecedented step of publicly suspending an entire officiating crew following its gaffes in the Georgia-LSU and Florida-Arkansas games.
What's next?
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Chris Low
Low joined ESPN.com in 2007 after 10 years with The (Nashville) Tennessean covering the University of Tennessee and SEC. The Rock Hill, S.C., native lives with his wife in Knoxville and has three sons.
SEC SCOREBOARD
Friday, 11/27
Saturday, 11/28
12:00 PM ET 18 Clemson South Carolina 12:21 PM ET 25 Mississippi Mississippi State 3:30 PM ET Florida State 1 Florida 7:00 PM ET Tennessee Kentucky - ESPNU
- Tickets
- Conversation
7:00 PM ET Arkansas 15 LSU 8:00 PM ET Georgia 7 Georgia Tech
