It is not that big of a deal ... but it could have been huge. Near the end of the third quarter in Saturday's 13-10 Wisconsin football victory over Fresno State, it seemed obvious that Fresno wideout Devon Wylie fumbled the ball after being hit by Wisconsin safety Shane Carter.
However, what seemed like a sure thing was anything but, as Fresno head coach Pat Hill challenged the ruling on the field and the original call of a fumble was overturned. In the end, while the play provided a huge momentum shift and kept Wisconsin on its heels the rest of the game, it did not affect the outcome.
There has been much debate this week over Saturday's game.
How did the replay official interpret something that seemed so apparent to most to be the complete opposite?
It is an interesting story. To tell it properly, a flashback to January is needed. After Wisconsin's 21-17 defeat to the Tennessee Volunteers in the 2008 Outback Bowl, UW head coach Bret Bielema stated in his postgame press conference that he would never coach a game with Western Athletic Conference officials again - the WAC being the conference in which Fresno State resides.
Bielema took a lot of flack for his comment, mainly because it was actually referees from the Mountain West Conference that officiated the game. Perhaps Saturday's reversal was payback for an unwarranted shot nine months ago? While the conspiracy theorists are drooling over the paranoia, no one else is buying it.
The national media has been hot on the heels of the WAC to do something about this play, as it is hard for anyone to truly believe that Wylie did not fumble the ball ... everyone except the replay official, that is. To everyone chanting and ranting about the WAC needing to do something, your prayers have been answered.
The WAC reviews every play of every game during the following week, and the Wisconsin-Fresno State game is no different.
We're reviewing this just like we review any game,"" WAC commissioner Karl Benson said in a phone conversation Monday.
Benson said that the WAC uses its review system as a learning tool as well as an evaluation process, giving each official a grade at the end of the season which determines whether they are considered for the postseason as well as whether they are retained. But depending on the severity of the error, immediate action can be taken, though Benson said he did not expect that to be the case in the Wisconsin-Fresno State controversy.
""[The play in question] didn't have an impact on the outcome of the game,"" Benson said.
Whether that is the right attitude to bring to this situation is uncertain. What if the play had made a drastic impact in the game? Four plays after the overturned call, Fresno hit Wisconsin with a 61-yard screen pass, bringing the ball down to UW's 9-yard line.
If Fresno had scored a touchdown and taken the lead, or even made a field goal to tie the game, wouldn't that warrant a stricter approach than the more laid-back, almost laissez-faire position that the WAC is currently standing behind?
The answer to the question is: Yes.
On a play that could have named the winner and loser of the game, it seems obvious that the WAC needs to do something about it. While it is impossible to go back and change the call made during the game, a suspension at least seems to be in order.
Wednesday the WAC announced the replay official made an error and the play should not have been overturned.
""The WAC holds officials accountable for their performance,"" said Benson in a press release. ""And when errors are made, especially those that may have an impact on the outcome of a game, it is necessary to hold an official accountable for the mistake.""
It takes a big man to admit he is wrong, though Benson's apology seems more of defeat than actual regret. The replay official at fault will only receive a point deduction in his overall grade and there will be no suspension - which seems to be a small fine for how drastic the crime could have been.
The old saying goes that ""hindsight is 20/20"" and this case is no different, except that everyone other than the replay official was seeing clearly the first time around.
If you think the WAC official was out of ""WhACk"", e-mail Nate at ncarey@wisc.edu.
