Grip on Sports: Pac-12 takes another hit and this one could have been easily avoided
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Sometimes members of the media are accused of grabbing onto something and not letting go. That accusation is true. But it is also, in most cases, not a bad thing. A non-call from last Friday night’s Washington State football game is a good example. Read on.
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• Yesterday, we mentioned Larry Scott’s comments about the missed targeting call against USC’s Porter Gustin from last Friday’s game. The Pac-12 commissioner’s comments came courtesy of the Associated Press’ Anne Peterson.
But we neglected to mention they came from an interview Peterson and the Oregon media did with Scott on Saturday night in Eugene.
Which brings up an interesting point.
The Pac-12 has been adamant in its conversations with media members about any officiating question over the years that the conference reviews all games on Monday. That was the company line this week as well.
This is from the Mercury-Tribune’s Jon Wilner story posted late Saturday night: “I checked with the conference. The play will be reviewed during the week — as are many — but no punishment is forthcoming for Gustin because no penalty was called.”
Except Scott’s comments, which were made hours before Wilner posted his story, seem to indicate this play had already been reviewed by the conference. Or, at the least, had already been discussed by members of the Pac-12’s hierarchy, including Scott. And that any comment to anyone – media, schools, players, whomever – the play would be reviewed Monday was, at best, disingenuous. At worst, it was a lie.
A person in the Washington State athletic department told me over the weekend the conference had assured the school the play would be reviewed on Monday, along with everything else. And a determination would be made after.
The timing of Scott’s comments tells us the conference knew its officiating crew screwed up. A play that egregious was going to attract attention and the usual protocol, waiting until Monday, wouldn’t work. A more-important protocol, the behind-protection one, had to be initiated quickly. So Scott went into deflection mode, all the while at least some folks at Washington State thought the final review would come two days later.
My conversation occurred after Scott’s comments but before they became widely known. They are now.
Whether the timeline is screwed up or not, Scott’s comments about the call were met with universal disbelief by anyone who saw video of the hit. Pardon me, anyone not associated with the Pac-12 office. Some of the comments on Twitter ranged from barely concealed disdain to outright harrumphs.
Once again the self-proclaimed conference of champions lost another battle. But even worse, player safety took a hit. That’s one area that should never be under debate.
• The uproar over the Gustin play will blow over. How do I know? Because another controversial call will occur either this week or next.
Heck, there have been two missed targeting calls against quarterbacks from this state already this season – and it’s only four weeks old.
Which brings up a point. If such egregious hits can be missed under the system we now have in place, doesn’t it show the system doesn’t work? No matter what Scott or NCAA administrators say, if such hits are going unpunished, player safety isn’t their No. 1 priority. If it were, there would be a mechanism in place that would, at best, catch the violations as they occur and, at worst, be authorized to retroactively discipline violators if somehow the hit slipped through the cracks.
The sad part? A change probably won’t be made until someone is seriously injured and hands are forced. Hopefully, I’m wrong on this but the past seems to indicate that’s the way the system works.
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WSU: Theo Lawson put together a story on Scott’s comments, which also includes some video of the hit. Yahoo has a piece that uses the rulebook to help in understanding the call and points out at least two of the four criteria came into play. I would argue all four do, but that’s a bit more debatable. … Theo also has his Pac-12 picks and a transcript of his chat from yesterday. … Oh, and don’t forget, there is video of post-practice conversations with Mike Leach and Dave Nichol. … The Cougar soccer team has reached heights never before seen in program history. Ryan Collingwood has more in his college soccer notebook. … The bye helped Utah get healthier but the bigger question is, did it help the Utes’ offense improve? … There is a deep Tyler Hilinski connection in Utah.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12, most folks don’t believe Washington is the conference’s best team right now. But the Huskies will be upholding the conference’s honor when they host BYU on Saturday. … Oregon only has its honor to worry about at California. The Ducks might be shorthanded. … Arizona State might be as well when the Sun Devils host Oregon State. The Beavers’ defense want to be more physical. … Speaking of conference honor, Stanford goes back on the road this week, this time to South Bend, where it faces Notre Dame. … The biggest thorn in Colorado’s side since joining the Pac-12 has been UCLA. The Bruins are trying to attract better players. … USC is really good at home under Clay Helton. But Saturday the Trojans will be at Arizona. And the road has been tougher. … In basketball news, it has been a year since the FBI raids on college basketball teams, including at Arizona.
Gonzaga: Larry Weir turned his attention to the Zags, talking with Jim Meehan for the latest Press Box pod.
EWU: Over the years, Eastern hasn’t attracted many players from the state of Montana. This weekend, when the Eagles face Montana State, they will have one their roster. Ryan Collingwood has the story. … Around the Big Sky, Montana State knows Eastern will stress its defensive front. … UC Davis has a bye this week. Some folks believe it is time for the Aggies to move up. … Northern Colorado has been treading water recently. … Montana has a pair of players who give teams double trouble. … Idaho State is not sure what it will get from Northern Arizona.
Idaho: A Vandal linebacker is a finalist for a prestigious national academic award.
Whitworth: The past few years, Linfield has been the class of the Northwest Conference in football. It’s the team the Pirates have been chasing. Can they catch Linfield this year? Dan Thompson examines the pursuit in this story.
Chiefs: Around the WHL, Portland is ready for a home game. … Everett can’t even practice at home right now.
Preps: It’s Thursday, which means it is a busy day in our high school coverage. Dave Nichols kicks it off with a feature about Lewis and Clark football. … He also has his Pick 6 with SWX’s Sam Adams. … The Linda Sheridan Volleyball Classic is this weekend. Justin Reed has a story detailing this year’s special plans. … The WIAA has mandated high school coaches have to share film before playoff games.
Seahawks: In the good news category – there hasn’t been all that much of that this season, has there? – Doug Baldwin returned to practice yesterday. He may even play Sunday. … One guy who will play is guard J.R. Sweezy, who moved to the left side last week. … What’s up with Earl Thomas?
Mariners: Felix Hernandez made his final start of the season last night and, like a majority of his 2018 starts, it didn’t go well. The M’s lost to the A’s, 9-3, and Felix’s ERA finished north of 5.5. That’s not good. … There was a change in the front office. … Chris Herrmann may get more at-bats in the future.
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• College basketball season is slowly getting underway. It’s under the radar a bit, but it’s getting started. That makes me happy. Until later …