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by Hal Lamar 'Skegee "jobbed" by the stripes?
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| Tuskegee catch |
The rubber hit the road in the waning moments of the game. With first and ten at the ASU 16, Tuskegee quarterback Jacari Atkinson gave it two shots to the end zone before giving it the fately try on 3nd and 10 that produced the controvery.. His pass sailed into a corner of the end zone. It was caught by wide receiver Antoin Mitchell but the field judge watching the play ruled the him out of bounds.
"I didn't see it," said the play by play announcer for Montgomery's WSFA TV which broadcast the game online. He then threw it to his sideline reporter, identified on the broadcast as Rob Taylor, who said, "I thought he stepped on the line but they ( officials) said he was out of bounds." Atkinson gave the end zone pass one last try on 4th and 10. It was incomplete and time ran out.
ASU 17, Tuskegee 13.
Then came the questions.
Was the call blown by the SIAC officiating crew? One radio sportscaster I talked with who also heard and saw the account of the online broadcast concluded that "Tuskegee got jobbed."
A writer from the Montgomery Advertiser who applauded the play of ASU and their ability to contain Atkinson. did write of the next-to-final play of the game, "Despite a hard shove from an ASU defender, Mitchell appeared to get his left foot down in bounds as he was falling out of the end zone, but an official just a few yards away from the play ruled him out and nullified the game-winning grab."
The game is now in the record books, Alabama State salvaged its otherwise dismal season and probably earned Head Coach Reggie Barlow at least another year on his contract. Notwithstanding what happened in the game, my big question was what does this loss do to Tuskegee's chances of repeating as national champions of black college football. Some of that was answered by the latest poll from the Sheridan Broadcasting Network. This week, Grambling State University claims the top spot. They achieved that on Saturday, November 29 at the Superdome vs. Southern University before 59,874 witnesses.
Editor's Note: The SIAC issued the following statement on December 5, 2008 regarding officiating at the Turkey Day Classic
Tucker, GA. – After careful review of all information provided by the Tuskegee University Department of Athletics, by both video footage and still photography, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) has determined that the SIAC crew that worked the 2008 Turkey Day Classic (Tuskegee vs. Alabama State) did a distressingly poor job officiating the contest.
During the second to last play of the game, Tuskegee’s quarterback, Jacary Atkinson, seemingly threw the game winning touchdown to Jonathan Lessa.The back judge, Philip Harden, ruled that Lessa was out of bounds. Vincent Swift, Field Judge, huddled with Harden who reconfirmed that the call should stand as he ruled, which was that the player was out of bounds.
Dr. Moses Norman, Supervisor of Football Officials for the SIAC, stated “I have concluded my review of the complaint filed by the administration at Tuskegee University regarding the ruling by the Back Judge in the Turkey Day Football Classic on a play in the end zone near the end of the game. The ruling by the official was that the player was out-of-bounds when he secured possession of the football, thus negating what appeared to be a touchdown. My review included separate conferences with the referee, the field judge, and the back judge, as well; as with the neutral site observer at the game. Additionally, I reviewed the still-life photo of the play sent to me and the DVD clip provided by Stacy Danley II, Athletic Director at Tuskegee. My conclusion is that the ruling by the back judge was in error because visual evidence available to me contradicts his explanation regarding the player being out-of-bounds when he secured possession of the football. Thus, the play should have resulted in a touchdown for Tuskegee. Certainly, this was a game-changing ruling by the back judge.”
George Mategakis, SIAC Interim Commissioner, stated “We expect complete honesty from our officials at all times. Anything else is simply unacceptable. Our supervisor of football officials, Dr. Norman spends a considerable amount of time making sure our officials approach each game with the upmost importance and significance. To miss a call like this will not be tolerated. The balance and result of a sporting contest should not be decided by officials, instead it should be decided by the players.”
The SIAC has responded by suspending, permanently, the services of Philip Harden as an official for any future SIAC football contests, starting with the 2009-2010 season.
Mategakis also added “we have very high expectations of all our officials and we expect them to call a fair game every time they step on to the field. We, in no way, expect or think that our teams should win every single game they play when facing out of conference competition, but we certainly expect a fair and just approach every single time”.
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| Southern's Band at Bayou Classic |
AT THE BAYOU: Southern jumped to a 14-0 lead thanks to two scoring drives near the end of the first quarter engineered by starting QB Bryant Lee. That, unfortunately would be the only two scores of the afternoon for the 5-2 (conference) Jaguars. The rest of the day belonged to Grambling and their sophomore signal caller Greg Dillon. After fumbling on the Southern 3 after a 34 yard run which killed a six play drive early in the first quarter, Dillion maintained his composure and then went to work in the second, third and fourth periods.
Southern meanwhile, lost the services of Lee to injury , forcing the Jags to the bench for redshirt junior Warren Matthews. As Matthews took the field, Grambling's defense stiffened, killing every Southern drive while their offense behind Dillon scored 29 unanswered points and earned their signal caller the game's MVP honors.
"This (win) was a big monkey off my back," said the native of Bogalosa, Louisiana. "We needed to win this game . Now we are looking forward to a championship."
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Dillon |
Grambling, finishing the regular season with a perfect 7-0 conference mark, takes on the Jackson State Tigers December 13th for the SWAC championship. But there is more at stake with this game than that. If Grambling wins the contest, they finish the season with an overall of 11-2 and that would likely solidify their top spot in the SBN poll and make them the radio network's 2008 national black college football champ.
On the other hand, a loss by Grambling would drop their record to 10-3 and allow Tuskegee at 10-1 overall to challenge for first place in the SBN poll and repeat their 2007 national black college grid position.
So despite the pain of being clipped after 25 straight wins over two seasons, who do you think Skegee will be pulling for on December 13 (by the way, the game will be broadcast over ESPN Classic but you owe it to yourself to fly, drive, walk or run to BIrmingham's Legion Field for the 1pm kickoff).
ABOUT NEW ORLEANS: I enjoyed my stay there which was enhanced by
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| Downtown New Orleans |
my wife and media partner Patsy and her siblings who guided me through the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, downtown and outlyng cities like Covington and their hometown of Hammond.
Rev Ernest Collier, my brother in law, was quick to point out how most of downtown was almost totally submerged three years ago including the huge Superdome. He said many residents of the city refuse to reenter the sports arena after so many perished during those first harrowing days and weeks.
New Orleans, and especially downtown, has come a long way but has a long way to go to return the city to it's pre-Katrina days (if it ever fully returns). The hotels, eateries, casinos and sites of interest are doing their part and didn't seem to want for tourists, however.
The Hilton, sitting on the banks of the Mississippi, was beehive busy with meetings and flourishing with guests. I generally enjoyed my stay though I admit being disappointed with the lack of complimentary services I tend to associate with a hotel of Hilton's stature. The excessive parking prices, lack of a continental breakfast for guests and no free business center was a bit surprising.
One very pleasant surprise was a restaurant just a few blocks from the Dome called Little Dizzy's. Their breakfast food was great and prices for a downtown bistro were quite reasonable.
Got an item or comment?
Contact Hal at hallamar@comcast.net
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