Questionable officiating, reviews take spotlight
Upon further review, booth reviews were plentiful in Big Ten action Saturday.
Indiana had two touchdowns erased in its 42-24 loss to then-No. 7 Iowa. On one play, the booth upheld the call on the field that the receiver was out of bounds. On the other, the booth reversed the call on the field that Terrance Turner had one foot inbounds and had scored a touchdown.
IU coach Bill Lynch was animated throughout the game but didn’t rip the officials in the postgame news conference. Big Ten coaches who have criticized officiating in the past have been fined $10,000, making such criticism rare.
“On the field, we have the worst angle of all,‘’ Lynch said about the plays that were reviewed. "All I know is that somebody thought it was a touchdown.’’
Earlier in the game, Lynch challenged a spot on a Darius Willis short run that appeared to be a first down. After watching the replays, the ESPN announcers at the game said the ball should be remarked and the Hoosiers given a first down. After review, the original spot was upheld.
In the Minnesota-Michigan State game, the Golden Gophers led 35-34 midway through the fourth quarter, when Adam Weber threw a pass to tight end Nick Tow-Arnett , who appeared to fumble. Michigan State’s Chris L. Rucker recovered.
After a review, the play was overturned and ruled an incomplete pass. On the next play, Weber connected again with Tow-Arnett, who went down on his back at the Michigan State 35. The ball never hit the ground, however, and popped into the air, where Minnesota running back Duane Bennett grabbed it and ran to the end zone for an apparent touchdown.
That play was also reviewed and the touchdown was confirmed. The Gophers went on to win 42-34.
The officials were especially active in that game. Minnesota received 17 penalties for 157 yards, both school records. The Spartans were flagged nine times for 73 yards.
In the Illinois-Michigan game, Wolverines wide receiver Roy Roundtree appeared to catch a 77-yard touchdown pass from Tate Forcier . After review, Roundtree was ruled to have stepped out of bounds at the 1-yard line.
Michigan failed to score on the next four plays from the 1. Illinois and quarterback Juice Williams then mounted a 99-yard touchdown drive on the way to a 38-13 victory.
Michigan feeling blue
After starting the season 4-0, including a come-from-behind 35-31 victory over Indiana, Michigan has lost four of its past five games.
The only win in that stretch was against Division I-AA Delaware State.
Following Saturday’s loss to Illinois, Michigan is in danger of failing to win a sixth game to become bowl eligible. The Wolverines may be playing for the postseason Saturday at home against Purdue. The Wolverines then play at Wisconsin and at home against Ohio State.
“We’re not getting wins that we should. We’re just playing for pride now,‘’ said Michigan safety Troy Woolfolk . "We know we’re not able to win the Big Ten, but we still have a chance to go to a bowl.’’
Magic number: 5
The following fives are in play:
Minnesota’s Weber had five touchdown passes against Michigan State.
IU intercepted Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi five times.
Teams with five wins: Michigan, Northwestern and Minnesota.
And here’s a multiple of five: Illinois had 500 yards of offense against Michigan.
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