Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE college football. As an alumnist of LSU (2nd generation– my father actually attended at the Baton Rouge campus), I’ve followed the Tigers for many years. Even now, I call my mom and dad before each game, knowing they’re watching the same thing. For the last 4 years or so, Auburn vs. LSU has been the rivalry to watch in the SEC. Whoever wins this game typically goes on to win the SEC West and half the time, the entire SEC.
This year the game is bigger than usual, what with Auburn ranked #3 in the nation and LSU ranked #6. Because I’m an LSU fan, I want LSU to win and move up in the rankings to challenge for a possible national championship. I’ve done the math, though, and know that’s unlikely (not that they would win, but that they would move up to 1 or 2– the SEC has always been severly underrated by the polls, regardless of the winning traditions and powerful players that go on to professional careers). Auburn, however, has a great chance of pursuing that championship, and after being denied due to all the USC hype in ’04 (yes, I said hype– I wasn’t the only person that saw what one quarterback and one safety from Texas did to an entire team of overrated heismans), they are overdue.
Needless to say, I’m pleased, overall, with the outcome of the game. They were two powerhouse defenses that made each other earn every single yard they gained (hence the 7 to 3 final score). High scoring games are a testament to fancy passing games against mediocre defenses. Give me blood and guts any day. At any rate, the outcome should insure both teams remain in the top 10 by the end of the year and Auburn FINALLY gets their national championship bid. We’ll see if that comes to pass… It may be a bit early.
However, I’m very, VERY disappointed at how LSU was prevented from getting near the end zone in the fourth quarter. I would argue that Auburn is strong enough to keep LSU out on their own, just as LSU was strong enough to keep Auburn out before and after the one lean in. The refs, however, felt it necessary for whatever reason to take matters into their own hands.
I don’t like blaming refs– feels like a cop-out. The refs this weekend, though, failed miserably at offering fans a clean game. Here’s my argument:
LSU threatened Auburn twice in the final quarter. The first drive ended at the Auburn 31 when, on fourth-and-eight, strong safety Eric Brock dived and tipped Russell’s pass near the goal line away from Early Doucet with 2:43 to play. It’s a good thing that Brock got a hand on it, because Doucet got tackled by corner Zach Gilbert before the ball reached him. The officials waved the pass interference off after the tip. The interference call would have given LSU a first down at Auburn’s 16-yard line with 2:43 remaining. Auburn took possession, and LSU later got the ball back for a final possession at its 20-yard line with 1:11 remaining. Technically, it’s pass interference in this situation if the interference occurs before the ball was tipped or intercepted. Here’s a picture snapped just before the ball was tipped– You make the call:
The problem I have with this call is that just a few plays earlier, when Auburn had possession, the exact same scenario should have resulted in an LSU interception. The Auburn receiver was downfield with LSU pass defense in his face. Yet another LSU defender caught the underthrown pass from Brandon Cox, resulting in an obvious interception, right? Think again. The flags went up and the penalty was pass interference. The interception would have resulted in great field possession with more than 6 minutes on the clock.
OK, so it’s pass interference… fine. So why isn’t the same scenario pass interference when Auburn did it? The inconsistency begs the question. Why? Why is it different when Auburn did it? Coach Les Miles of LSU has officially requested these answers. I don’t think “so much was going on we must have simply missed something” should be sufficient. It was, after all, the game-breaking pass. Everyone watching the game saw it.
In the end, it was a huge win for Auburn and deservedly so. They played hard and tough for 4 full quarters. I just feel that the refs have taken away some of the quality of the win, as well as the overall game. Now I will always have to wonder if Auburn was/is good enough to win it without their help.
