Kirk Ferentz blasts Big Ten officiating crew after Cooper DeJean called for invalid fair catch

IOWA CITY — Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said it is “really hard to accept the explanation that we got” after Big Ten Conference officials called an invalid fair catch on Cooper DeJean that wiped out a 54-yard touchdown.

Ferentz said he had not ever seen anything “that bad” in his coaching career, but “what gets worse is the explanations you get.”

“As I understand it, at least the initial replay was to find out if he was in or out of bounds — if Cooper stepped out of bounds, which clearly he didn’t,” Ferentz said. “I appreciate the replay on that. That’s fine, do their homework and make sure they’re correct on that. But then somehow we went from there to a whole different series of topics.”

Big Ten referee Tim O’Dey, via a pool reporter, said the invalid fair catch is a “reviewable element of the game.”

The officiating crew “let the play run out” and then saw “indisputable evidence that there is a waving motion with the left hand.”

“The receiver makes a pointing gesture with his right hand, and he makes multiple waving gestures with his left hand,” O’Dey said. “If you look at the video you’ll see that. That waving motion of the left hand constitutes an invalid fair catch signal. So when the receiving team recovers the ball, by rule it becomes dead.”

By rule, an invalid fair catch is “any waving motion by a receiving team member that happens throughout the kickdown,” O’Dey said.

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Cooper DeJean said he was trying to “keep my balance” with his left arm.

“Most people, when they run, their arms do wave,” Ferentz said. “So if you looked at the video, it looked like he was naturally running to the football and then just made a great play. One of the best ones I’ve ever seen.”

Video shows DeJean doing more than just the inevitable arm movement that comes with running, however.

Ferentz mentioned multiple times that the coaching staff goes over fair catch procedure “with the officials each and every time” before the game.

“Above the head, wave,” Ferentz said. “And we also cover point to the ground for an errant kick, which there were several of those today.”

Even with the “interesting call,” Iowa still had a chance to win. The Hawkeyes had the ball on their own 46-yard line — about 25 yards away from field goal range for kicker Drew Stevens.

“As disappointing as that (call) was, we still had an opportunity to win that football game, and I was confident we would,” Ferentz said.

Deacon Hill threw an interception, though, which essentially ended the game.

Going back to the officiating, Ferentz also noted the uniqueness of the six replays.

He maybe “slept through the meeting” where the conference explained where the replay decisions get made. The Big Ten has a replay review center in Pittsburgh to assist with the process.

“I’m still not sure who makes the final decision,” Ferentz said. “I know we go to Pittsburgh for analysis. And my theory there is the more people get involved, probably the more screwed up things are.”

Bill Carollo, the Big Ten’s coordinator of football officials, said in July the final replay decision belongs to the “replay person at the stadium.”

Ferentz believes the official with the final say should be the “official who’s on the field talking to the coaches.”

“It might clean some things up,” Ferentz said. “It might not make it right, but it would be easier to understand whoever the wizard is behind the curtain.”

Ferentz said the second-quarter targeting call on Karson Sharar on a kickoff, which resulted in Sharar’s ejection, “was a first for me.”

“Not saying or making any judgment on that,” Ferentz said.

Head coaches are subject to fines for publicly criticizing officiating, per Big Ten policy.

“Hopefully, if the Big Ten deems it necessary to fine me, hopefully they’ll maybe find it in their hearts to send it to a good cause like the children’s hospital,” Ferentz said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com