The pass interference call

[oupride]

Seemed like the correct call to me. Some were saying "uncatchable." Of course I am speaking of the second-and-14 from the Tennessee 31 in the final four minutes of the game, Mayfield tried to hit A.D. Miller in the back of the end zone, the throw was high and Miller was pulled down by Tennessee nickelback Malik Foreman. How does anyone actually know it was uncatchable? I watched all the angles that were broadcast and it looked like the correct call. What if Miller had not gotten hit, and he was "hit." And I think that is why the ref threw the flag.

Question: If you do not call pass interference on Foreman that clearly decked Miller, then what is the deterrent from declaring open season on ALL receivers? For example, receivers away from the play or other side of the field? The ball would be "uncatchable" to them, right? Does anyone have knowledge of the rules that somehow prevents hits on receivers on every play?

Hope this question makes sense.

[Serenity Now]

Uncatchable is not a rule in college to my understanding. How you describe it would be personal fouls.

If it wasn't really interference it covered for one of the other PI calls that were missed. Similar to how I felt about the Cowboys last night. They missed an obvious one early in the game. They got a not so obvious one later in the game. Both were in the end zone. Even, steven.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

If you watch the replay, the ball hit him in the stomach out of bounds. The initial angle made it look uncatchable but it only landed about 3 yards out of the back of the end zone. Once they showed what the refs saw that was clear PI.

[SoonerorLater]

Actually I think they could have called the defender for PI even before the hit at the back of the end zone. It looked like he grabbed some shirt as Miller crossed the goal line. I'd like to take another look at that play.

[winout]

If it was uncatchable then why did they interfere?

[Curly Bill]

I think it likely was uncatchable (though not for certain), but it was such a boneheaded play by the Tennessee defender it had to be called.

[OUmillenium]

It was not that far out of the endzone. If OU receiver was allowed to jump he prob could have put hands on it. TV Announcers made it sound like the ball was thrown 10 rows up in the stands. 100% correct call.

[BoulderSooner79]

If you watch the replay, the ball hit him in the stomach out of bounds. The initial angle made it look uncatchable but it only landed about 3 yards out of the back of the end zone. Once they showed what the refs saw that was clear PI.

This is exactly what I saw. I thought it was a bad call when I viewed it live, but that replay from another angle clearly showed he could have reached the ball and the refs got it right. It would have been a difficult catch, but the defender took away the opportunity.

[Sooner70]

I think the other factor was the defender didn't really look back to the ball. it appeared he just went after the receiver without even knowing what was happening. Or maybe he did and he was desperate. Anyway, Think if he'd looked back & made an effort to play on the ball instead of the receiver, might not hae been called.

[AzianSooner]

Reps robbed us the fumble - touchdown one earlier. This is fair.

[65Mustang]

Seemed like the correct call to me. Some were saying "uncatchable." Of course I am speaking of the second-and-14 from the Tennessee 31 in the final four minutes of the game, Mayfield tried to hit A.D. Miller in the back of the end zone, the throw was high and Miller was pulled down by Tennessee nickelback Malik Foreman. How does anyone actually know it was uncatchable? I watched all the angles that were broadcast and it looked like the correct call. What if Miller had not gotten hit, and he was "hit." And I think that is why the ref threw the flag.

Question: If you do not call pass interference on Foreman that clearly decked Miller, then what is the deterrent from declaring open season on ALL receivers? For example, receivers away from the play or other side of the field? The ball would be "uncatchable" to them, right? Does anyone have knowledge of the rules that somehow prevents hits on receivers on every play?

Hope this question makes sense.

Here is an excerpt from the NCAA rule book.

Defensive pass interference is contact beyond the neutral zone by a Team B player whose intent to impede an eligible opponent and it could prevent the opponent the opportunity of receiving a catchable forward pass. When in question, a legal forward pass is catchable.....


In other words, assume it is catchable, unless absolutely evident it is not.

I recall the Holiday Bowl against Oregon where we had a PI called against us where the ball was 10 rows up in the stands.

. I cannot recall an instance of obvious PI where it was ruled uncatchable.

[oupride]

I guess I was confused by the demeanor of the Tennessee coach as if he expected the refs not to call PI. The clouds have parted and I can see clearly now. Thank you everyone that responded to my question.

[BoulderSooner79]

I guess I was confused by the demeanor of the Tennessee coach as if he expected the refs not to call PI. The clouds have parted and I can see clearly now. Thank you everyone that responded to my question.

That's one of the coaches jobs to try to sway calls to go their way. It all evens out in the long run.

[65Mustang]

I guess I was confused by the demeanor of the Tennessee coach as if he expected the refs not to call PI. The clouds have parted and I can see clearly now. Thank you everyone that responded to my question.

Up to that point every call had gone their way. Two obvious PI calls at about the 2 minute mark in the first half against Moseley were not called. The obvious PI in the 3rd among several. After the PI was called, the rest of the game was called evenly.

[Widescreen]

That's one of the coaches jobs to try to sway calls to go their way. It all evens out in the long run.

Except when it doesn't. See Oregon in Eugene.

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

Except when it doesn't. See Oregon in Eugene.

^^this^^

[BoulderSooner79]

Except when it doesn't. See Oregon in Eugene.

Those egregious calls happen every few years. Anyone that has achieved the age of two years old has figured out that life's not fair.

My only point is that coaches will always work the refs and it will pay off if they do it correctly.

[Salt City Sooner]

@ 3:40 of the bottom video is a great view of it. Would it have been a great catch? Absolutely. Was it uncatchable? Absolutely not.

https://oklahoma.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1802964

[Pride1Mom]

There was actually pass interference before they were in the end zone, though that wasn't the play they called it on. But the refs missed more important plays than that, so at least one was in OU's favor!

[oupride]

@ 3:40 of the bottom video is a great view of it. Would it have been a great catch? Absolutely. Was it uncatchable? Absolutely not.

https://oklahoma.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1802964

Wow! Thanks for the post!

[Williesan]

The call on AD Miller's situation was absolutely the correct call. The defender never "got his head around" to play the ball. He did the only thing he could do there and just plowed through Miller before the ball got there. The defender clearly put Miller at a clear disadvantage by doing that.

The other questionable non-call was on the 3rd down play in the 3rd quarter when DeDe Westbrook was run over while trying to make a catch. The defender here used Westbrook as a ladder to get to the ball. Watching the replay, he got there before the ball arrived, and jumped, using Westbrook's shoulders for leverage with his right hand. This held Westbrook down and prevented him from making the catch. Again - the defender put the receiver at a competitive disadvantage and it should have been called.

Then again, this was Mike Defee's crew. His crew has never given us the benefit of the doubt (e.g. @ Baylor, 2011: Roy Finch "illegal block below the waist" that wiped out a score and changed the complexion of the game.) If the marquee Big XII games are supposed to get the best officials, and this is the best we got... I shudder to think about what the other 4 crews are like this year.