BIG Rewind: Officiating woes, Michigan Stakement

Video replay is designed to erase officiating errors, not amplify them. But in the last few weeks, Big Ten officials have made several head-scratching calls that are wrong on the field and somehow remain after television replays.

Two weeks ago, Penn State was whistled for an offside penalty on an onside kick and clearly wasn't offside. Replays show the Nittany Lions were behind the line at the kick, but the play was non-reviewable. It cost Penn State one final chance to beat Michigan.

Last week, Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown fumbled the ball at the Iowa 1-yard line and defensive back Maurice Fleming recovered at the 2. While replays showed Brown's knee was not down when the ball squirted free, officials ruled evidence was inconclusive for overturning the call.

Saturday, Illinois quarterback Riley O'Toole clearly threw a backward pass to Devin Church, who was hit by Minnesota defensive back Jalen Myrick. Minnesota linebacker Damien Wilson quickly picked up the ball and raced toward the end zone, but officials blew the whistle indicating an incomplete pass. The call was reversed on replay and Minnesota was awarded possession of the ball. However the Gophers did not receive the defensive touchdown they easily would have scored.

Early Saturday night, Ohio State safety Vonn Bell stepped in front of Penn State's Noah Brown and intercepted Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg at the PSU 39. The ball clearly hit the ground, but it was ruled an interception on the field. As for the replay, what was shown behind the curtain remains a mystery.

In the second quarter, Ohio State kicked a 49-yard field goal when the play clock had expired for at least two seconds. There was no penalty.

'All of that equals 10 points, right?” Penn State Coach James Franklin said. 'I would love to come in here on a weekly basis and tell you exactly what I think and it goes against everything that I am. I tell people the truth, but I'm not able to do that.”

After the game, Penn State's pool reporter interviewed referee John O'Neill and replay official Tom Fiedler. Here's the question-and-answer session:

Q: The Ohio State Interception in the first quarter, was there a problem with the two replay feeds on that?

O'Neill: The play technically was not thoroughly reviewed due to some technical difficulties with the equipment.

Q: In a case like that when the main feed and the backup feed are not available, is there any provision that can you look at the in-house feed to get a backup to get a look at that?

O'Neill: The feeds that the replay team looks at are the feeds you get at home. We can't create our own rules. The replay rules are clear that we have to use the equipment provided. So, Tom (Fiedler) and the team reviewed what they had.

Q: Then there's no provision to look at the in-house feed then?

O'Neill: Right.

Q: On Ohio State's 49-yard field goal, there were some television replays that looked like the clock had run out and maybe two or three seconds had passed the zeros when the clock had run out. Was there any review of that?

O'Neill: No.

Q: Is that something that if you see it in the booth that you can buzz down or is that not a situation that is reviewable?

Fiedler: That is not reviewable in terms of when the ball is snapped in relationship to the zeros on the clock.

Obviously in real time, officials will make incorrect calls and blow the whistle inadvertently. That's unfortunate, yet understandable. But the communication mistakes between the field and the booth are inexcusable. After all, everything is in HD these days.

MICHIGAN STAKEMENT

Rivalry games often entice players, fans and coaches to perform strange rituals. But there's a level of crazy attached to a team that willingly antagonizes a rival capable of whipping its butt.

Before Saturday's game at East Lansing, Michigan players rallied at midfield around linebacker Joe Bolden, who drove a stake into the ground. That appeared to fuel Michigan State's simmering anger to a full boil. The Spartans blasted the Wolverines 35-11, Michigan State's sixth win in the last seven games against their instate opponent.

As the game neared its end, Michigan State had the opportunity to kneel the ball and take a 17-point win. Instead, the Spartans continued to pound the football at the Wolverines. The seven-play drive - all runs - culminated with a 5-yard touchdown blast by Jeremy Lankford with 28 seconds left.

At first glance, it appeared the Spartans (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) wanted to run up the score on their neighbors. But for MSU Coach Mark Dantonio, it was more about making a statement after the Wolverines tried to stake their claim at Spartan Stadium.

'Just felt like we needed to put a stake in them,” Dantonio said. 'You might as well just come out and say what you're feeling at some point because you can only be diplomatic for so long, OK? The little brother stuff, all the disrespect, it didn't have to go in that direction. We try to handle ourselves with composure.

'It doesn't come from the coach; it comes from the program. Throwing a stake down in our backyard out here and coming out there like they are all that, it got shoved up ... it got shoved the last minute and a half. We were not going to pull off that. We weren't trying to get a field goal; that wasn't the M.O. If our guys could get it in, we were going to get it in.”

Michigan Coach Brady Hoke, whose team has bumbled to a 3-5 record, provided a inconsistent statement after the game.

'I think I was aware that something happened, but I'm not fully aware,” Hoke said. 'I heard that a young man put a stake in the ground.”

Sunday, Hoke apologized for the incident.

'I want to publicly apologize to Coach Dantonio as well as the players and supporters of Michigan State for our act of poor sportsmanship displayed pre-game yesterday,” Hoke said in a statement. 'I spoke with Mark earlier today and expressed to him that we meant no disrespect to his team. During our regular Friday night team meeting, one of the topics presented to motivate our team was a history lesson addressing commitment and teamwork in a tough environment. A tent stake was presented to the team as a symbol of this concept. The stake was brought into our locker room as a visual reminder, and one of our team leaders chose to take it out on the field. As the leader of our football program, I take full responsibility for the actions of our team. We believe in displaying a high level of respect at the University of Michigan and unfortunately that was not reflected by this action prior to kickoff.”

ILLINOIS FIGHTS BACK

After a double-digit loss to Purdue, Illinois was considered the league's ultimate patsy. Popular thinking had the Illini losing the rest of their games and Coach Tim Beckman getting a pink slip before the season finale. Neither thought was far-fetched; Illinois had lost 24 of its last 25 Big Ten games.

But on Saturday, Illinois (4-4, 1-3) unveiled its Gray Ghost uniforms and embodied the spirit of the legendary Galloping Ghost, Red Grange. The Illini spooked the Gophers early, taking a 14-3 lead. Then with Minnesota (6-2, 3-1) leading by three points and less than seven minutes remaining, Illinois cornerback V'Angelo Bentley returned a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown to give Illinois a 28-24 win over the West Division-leading Gophers.

'It's been a long time, no question about it, and I can't tell you what fight that they've put up from day one on June 10 to where we're at right now,” Beckman said. 'The fight, the competitiveness, the belief that we can be successful if we just play four quarters and if we don't beat ourselves, and that's exactly what they did.”

Bentley, a junior, made a little history himself. He became the first Illinois player in school history to score touchdowns on a kick return, punt return, interception return and fumble return in his career.

'I'm honored, but there's still work to do. I just want to make plays for our team to win, however they come, getting points or setting up points,” Bentley said.

Illinois still has a shot at the postseason. The Illini play a tough one at Ohio State next week, but then play host to Iowa (Nov. 15), Penn State (Nov. 22) and finish at Northwestern (Nov. 29).

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah set the school record with 341 all-purpose yards in a 42-24 win against Rutgers. Abdullah has 6,604 all-purpose yards and vaulted Indiana's Anthony Thompson and Ohio State's Archie Griffin into second on the Big Ten all-purpose yardage list. Abdullah needs 825 yards to match Wisconsin's Ron Dayne (7,429) for the Big Ten record.

'I don't know how he compares to anybody else,” Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini said. 'Ameer is Ameer, and he doesn't need to compare himself to anyone else. He's pretty special in his own way.”

Ohio State (6-1, 3-0) has won 19 straight Big Ten regular-season games, one shy of the league record of 20 set by the 2005-07 Ohio State teams. The Buckeyes have the nation's longest road winning streak at 11 games.

In its 52-7 blowout over Maryland (5-3, 2-2), Wisconsin (5-2, 2-1) allowed just 175 total yards, its fewest against a Big Ten opponent since Minnesota put up 156 yards in 2011. The Badgers had seven tackles for loss and 18 over their last two games. At one point Wisconsin held Maryland to three-and-outs on seven consecutive possessions.

SATURDAY'S STARS

Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah set a Nebraska record with 341 all-purpose yards, including 225 rushing, and three touchdowns. ... Penn State WR Daeshawn Hamilton caught 14 passes for 126 yards. ... Ohio State LB Joshua Perry had 18 tackles (12 unassisted) ... Michigan State RB Jeremy Langford rushed for 177 yards and three TDs. ... Illinois LB Earnest Thomas III

had 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

NOTEWORTHY

Minnesota RB David Cobb rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns. ... Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon ran for 122 yards and three scores. ... Maryland punter Nathan Renfro had nine punts for a 42.2 yards a boot. ... Rutgers WR Leonte Caroo caught five passes for 127 yards. ... Michigan WR Devin Funchess

caught five passes for 64 yards.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Michigan State (1) 7-1 4-0

Drove a figurative stake through its instate rival

2. Ohio State (2) 6-1 3-0

Lucky to escape State College with a win

3. Nebraska (3) 7-1 3-1

Yet again, rode a historic day from an all-time player to victory

4. Wisconsin (4B) 5-2 2-1

Strong play in all 3 phases, could be West's scariest team

5. Iowa (7) 5-2 2-1

Can win them all or lose them all; very unpredictable

6. Minnesota (4A) 6-2 3-1

Couldn't handle success in road defeat at bottom feeder

7. Maryland (4C) 5-3 2-2

Struggles to stop the run, which Wisconsin recognized

8. Northwestern (9) 3-4 2-2

Wildcats travel to Iowa City for second straight season

9. Penn State (11) 4-3 1-3

Showed heart rallying down 17 in OT loss

10. Rutgers (8) 5-3 1-3

A clear step down from Big Ten's top tier

11. Michigan (10) 3-5 1-3

Team 135 ... zzzzzz

12. Purdue (13) 3-4 1-3

Game in Lincoln will have 3 times as many fans as usual Ross-Ade crowd

13. Illinois (14) 4-4 1-3

Maybe Illini should wear gray every week

14. Indiana (12) 3-4 0-3

Hard to see Hoosiers competing without good quarterback play

STANDINGS

WEST DIVISION

Nebraska 7-1 3-1

Minnesota 6-2 3-1

Iowa 5-2 2-1

Wisconsin 5-2 2-1

Northwestern 3-4 2-2

Purdue 3-5 1-3

Illinois 4-4 1-3

EAST DIVISION

Michigan State 7-1 4-0

Ohio State 6-1 3-0

Maryland 5-3 2-2

Rutgers 5-3 1-3

Penn State 4-3 1-3

Michigan 3-5 1-3

Indiana 3-4 0-3

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

Wisconsin 52, Maryland 7

Illinois 28, Minnesota 24

Nebraska 42, Rutgers 24

Michigan State 35, Michigan 11

Ohio State 31, Penn State 24 (2OT)

Idle: Iowa, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue

UP NEXT

Northwestern at Iowa, 11 a.m. (BTN)

Wisconsin at Rutgers, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Maryland at Penn State, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)

Purdue at Nebraska, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Indiana at Michigan, 2:30 p.m. (BTN)

Illinois at Ohio State, 7 p.m. (ABC)

Idle: Minnesota, Michigan State

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com