A Blown Call Two Years Old

If you don't read the comments section of BYU football articles, and if you don't spend much time reading San Diego based newspapers, then you probably don't really care about the following post, because you may have forgotten that it was ever an issue. Unless you're like me and you read everything leading up to a game, and you don't forget even the most trivial detail regarding your team (but somehow can't remember even the simplest formula for your statistics exam).

I get holding grudges when it comes to rivalries, and since San Diego State sure seems to think we're rivals, I understand why they still cling to it. After all, it was the last game SDSU played against BYU before BYU abandoned them for football independence, and SDSU lost that game by a mere three points. Aztec faithful are right; it was a blown call that should have been reversed. Video replay clearly shows that JJ Di Luigi was stripped of possession of the ball before coming into contact with the ground. Take a look (start the video at the 1:44 mark):


Word soon got out that one of the replay officials, Chad Bunn, was a BYU alum. This is where the controversy came in. This is what still angers SDSU conspiracy theorists even though that game was over two years ago.

It was a horrendous call, I can absolutely admit that. But there are several things about this incident that simply annoy me. First of all, there are three replay officials. Bunn was the one in charge of video feed, so yes, he probably should have forced the issue and said "Hey, there's other angles you haven't looked at," but the one actually reviewing the video and making the decision said he was fine and didn't need more angles. Clearly he was mistaken about that. But Chad Bunn was cleared of any wrong doing by the Mountain West Conference. Even still, he volunteered to be suspended with the rest of the crew.

So, San Diego State fans, how about you quit ruining Bunn's life (which he has admitted has been difficult since the incident two years ago), and leave him be? Yes, it was a blown call, and if you would like to be angry about that then fine, it's a "rivalry," and one sided as the hatred is, I understand.

But here's one more thought. As a basketball coach I used to tell my players that no game has ever been won or lost due to bad officiating. The sentiment is right, but I think I am going to amend that in the future. From now on I think that I am going to say "No game has ever been won or lost on a bad call from an official." Yes the game was decided by three points, but who's to say that if SDSU got the ball (as they should have) Ryan Lindley doesn't toss a pick six on the very next play? You just don't know what the outcome of the game would have been, even if that call had been made correctly! As a coach I would tell my team, "Who cares about the blown call? We should have gotten a stop." That is, and always has been, a part of my personal coaching philosophy. It is not the officials' fault that we turned the ball over. It's not the officials' fault we didn't put more points on the board. And it's not the officials' fault we didn't stop the other guys from scoring.

Also, as you watch the video, notice that Di Luigi gets his facemask tugged slightly by one guy, then ripped upward by another, neither of which were flagged as they should have been. And if that had been called, it would have negated the fumble anyway. But I suppose that's not really the point here.

So, Aztec fans, please don't cite some erroneous conspiracy theory. Be a little angry, go for it, I don't mind. But please don't blame one BYU alum who happened to have a connection to the decision, because he didn't actually make the call. He also didn't prevent your team from playing defense.