There are a lot of upset people in the college football world about the controversial ending to the Oklahoma State-Central Michigan game. Chief among them: Tommy Tuberville. In fact, from the sound of it, the Cincinnati head coach may be more chafed by the outcome than Mike Gundy.
Speaking on the American Athletic Conference coaches’ teleconference Monday, Tuberville blasted both the Big 12 replay crew and the MAC officiating crew.
“Things are going a lot faster for the officials on the field; I think they lean on the instant-replay people a lot more than probably they should,” Tuberville said, via the Tampa Bay Times.
He saved most of his ire, though, for the Big 12 replay crew, saying they should, effectively, lose their jobs.
“But bottom line, they dropped the ball, big-time. And unfortunately Oklahoma State suffered this consequence. It would be like having 12 men on the field and the instant-replay guy not seeing it at the end of the game, or getting a fifth down like Colorado did (against Missouri in 1990). This can’t happen.
“The people involved in this should not be allowed to do games anymore.”
Tuberville’s take is harsh but understandable. Football is a game of inches, as we know, and coaches put their jobs on the line with each result. One game can turn a season, and one play, one call can turn a game. If a coach can lose his job in part because his team lost a game it shouldn’t, it makes sense Tuberville would think the way he does.
Both the Big 12 and MAC have announced two-game suspensions for the crews involved, effective immediately.