"...an out of control menace..."?

My lord, what pussies y'all are. And to gloss over the punk-ass yanking of Trannon's facemask by a COACH, not even a player, by saying "Maybe not the wisest thing to do"...at a minimum, that coach ought to be suspended for at least a game, and possibly fired for such an inexcusable lack of judgment. I rewound/replayed it on my own DVR, and Trannon didn't do anything prior to the bitch-ass yanking except display attitude.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: against my Buckeyes in January, against Georgia Tech, against Michigan, and, inarguably, against the choke artists from East Lansing who without a doubt lost that game (as opposed to ND winning it), it's been made clear that what you have there in South Bend is a callow, lead-footed, fumbling, (STILL) overrated grab-asstic piece of amphibian shit for a team.

AND you also manage to bitch about the refs. To quote Stephen Colbert's riposte to Steve Carell, "What's the weather like up your own ass?"

Sad.
matsut | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 6:27 am | #

By your own recap, ND is the one that escalated the sideline mess to physical.

Hmm...
Sideshow Bob | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 7:22 am | #

See number 5...
Joe | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 7:47 am | #

I've seen "Matsut" before on the mgoblog and this is par for the course. Why come here if you despise Irish fans such? Why not just go away? You will not be missed.
As for the Trannon episode, Trannon got a flag like he deserved and bitching about penalties is almost always a poor diet choice; sour grapes NEVER make losses become victories. As always happens, the guy that responds gets the flag. However, you can't brush over the fact that a coach grabbed a players facemask. Whatever the reason, it was a stupid thing to do. I don't know about suspensions or anything, but coaches should show better judgement. And, whatever coach pulled Trannon probably didn't take the best approach. Situations on the sideline are tense and yanking players can only serve to escalate tension. Please don't bag on me for this, I'm an Irish fan. It's just not what I want to see from my team.
All that being said, JLS is a jackass and his postgame actions (from protecting the "S" to bitching about Weis saying he got hit) reek of BushLeague-ism. I mean, it's stupid-a whole slew of poor decision-making and unfortunate events led to MSU's loss. And make no mistake, ND suffered just as much of the same during the game. As far as I see it, after all that happened, both teams were on a level playing field.
As for Matsut, your energies would be better spent focused on OSU. Porous run defense, poor tackling, Smith's recent accuracy woes and PSU's ability to hold your offense to 14 points could cause problems for you down the road. And, like I asked on mgoblog, why are you bitter towards a team your team BEAT!?! This makes no sense to me.
Good posts Jay, your take on the game was really vivid.
Re-Run | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 8:48 am | #

Wow, you Big Ten apologists (OSU, MSU, etc.) are full of yourselves.

Matsut - we played OSU almost 9 months ago, and lost. Why are you still hanging around ND blogs antagonizing people? What satisfaction do you derive from it? Rationally discussing different viewpoints is one thing, but coming on here and being rude, offensive, and beligerent makes you look pretty silly. Look in the mirror when you wonder why OSU and it's fans have a bad reputation nationwide.

Bob et al. - if the refs thought that the ND coaches were out of line, they would have penalized them. Trannon is the one who got penalized, because he was the only one who deserved it. ND coaches trying to remove MSU players (who needlessly entered the ND bench are) were not of line. They were trying to prevent an explosion.

Stanton is the ONLY MSU player who had any business on the ND sideline, since he ended up there as a result of the play. Why in the world would other MSU players think that Stanton needed "protection" over there? Players get knocked into opposing sidelines pretty frequently, and hop right back up and go back to the field. Why would Trannon think that he needed to enter the sideline? If Trannon stays where he belongs - ON THE FIELD OF PLAY - the whole situation is avoided. Trannon caused the incident by his inflammatory behavior. Other MSU players should have removed him from the area to prevent escalation. Since they did not, the ND coaches were correct to try to remove him. It's not like they assaulted him in any way.

No one deserves to be suspended - or punished in any way - for what happened. Trannon got what he deserved (a personal foul), and everyone else got what they deserved (nothing). Let it go, people, let it go.
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 8:51 am | #

Jesus H. Christ on a crutch...I'm not bitter, Re-Run, I'm just calling bullshit when I see it. I also don't "despise Irish fans", I'm just always - ALWAYS - going to root for the Big 10 team against ND, and Sparty simply gave that one away. The Irish just happened to be the opponent for their right-on-cue meltdown.

Why not "just go away"?...because I like this blog (and HRB, and Rakes of Mallow, and MGoBlog, and MZone, &c.); it's usually outstanding. I just disagree vehemently with Jay's take on the events of this past Saturday. Is that not allowed?

Finally: your concern for my Buckeyes is touching, but you know what? We'll be just fine - and in Glendale on January 8th.
matsut | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:03 am | #

What bothers me about this whole thing, is that JLS is now using this as a smokescreen to cloud his own poor coaching. He gets the media all interested in the idea of coaching suspensions, poor officiating during the sideline scuffle, etc... and in turn avoids questions like "Why didn't you give your 260 pound running back, who was averaging over 13 yards a carry, a single touch in the final 13 minutes of the game?" or "Why did you not try to throw the ball more to your 6'6", 235 pound senior receiver who was being defended by a 6'0", 170 pound true freshman making his first road start?"

It's not so much that he's upset about ND's actions as he's just trying to avoid the spotlight of yet another MSU collapse. Hopefully Sparty will wise up, can JLS, and hire a coach that isn't going to embarrass the long and successful tradition of Michigan State football.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:04 am | #

Hey Andrew? It's "its".
matsut | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:07 am | #

Hey matsut? It's "it's."

Since you care so much...
Michael | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:30 am | #

My apologies for the egregious typo, matsut. I'm glad to know that your punctuation-police certification is up to date. Oops, I guess it isn't...periods are supposed to be placed inside quotation marks.
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:32 am | #

What I don't understand about the theory that MSU "gave Notre Dame the game" is that the Spartans scored three touchdowns from Irish mistakes (Zibby fumble, Quinn interception, turnover on downs). So Notre Dame gave the game away first...Sparty just didn't know how to keep it.
Joe | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:35 am | #

I can't fault the MSU players for going over to pick up Stanton. If it was Brady that ended up under a bench I would hope that a player or two would go over, pick him up, and get out of there.

Tranton, however, was picking a fight, which eventually got him a deserved flag.

Should an ND coach be able to defend himself against an opposing player who is shoving him around? Yes. Were Polian's(?) actions completely appropriate? I don't know. Do I care? No.

Let's talk about Purdue and let Jonnelle and the rest of the Big 10 stew.
Dan | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:37 am | #

"Finally: your concern for my Buckeyes is touching, but you know what? We'll be just fine - and in Glendale on January 8th."


Matsut...pride cometh before the fall.

OSU has as good a chance as anyone to make it to the BSC championship, but there are some legitimate obstacles in the way first. While OSU's schedule is fairly easy until the Michigan game (Saturday night's game at Iowa notwithstanding), it's pretty rare for a team to go undefeated in the Big Ten. Michigan is looking pretty tough, although we'll see how they do through their upcoming conference schedule. If OSU and Michigan are undefeated on November 18th, I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that OSU will win. While having the game in the 'Shoe is a definite advantage to OSU, Michigan will be primed for revenge and to play the spoiler. Like I said, OSU has as good a chance as anyone...but if you're buying tickets to AZ already, better hope they're refundable, just in case.

While we're on the subject of OSU, to what do you attribute the fact that OSU was played very closely by a Penn State team that was destroyed by ND a few weeks ago? Two late defensive touchdowns don't negate the fact that Penn State was within one possession (TD and two-point conversion) from tying up the game in the final few minutes. Don't blame the weather for OSU offensive woes...ND played better offense in worse weather in East Lansing last Saturday. Don't blame PSU's defense, as ND showed how to exploit it two weeks ago. OSU's offense never got on track against Penn State. If OSU's offense plays like that against a better team (Michigan, maybe - big maybe - MSU if the Spartan offense is able to hit some big plays against OSU's defense), OSU is going to lose. OSU is a tough team, but they're certainly not invincible.
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:41 am | #

Matsut, you're free to disagree, I guess, but fire up that DVR one more time. Go to the full-length review right after the commercial break. Keep an eye on Powlus. You'll see Powlus take one MSU player and usher him back to the field, and he goes without incident. Then he ushers a second player. Again, no incident; why would there be? Even if it is a coach from another team, players generally show respect to coaches when they are trying to separate players.

Then he goes to Trannon who is not facing him, pulls his jersey, and sort of corrals him away. Then he turns to continue herding players away.

Trannon loses his shit, and goes after Powlus. You can see the entire sideline react to his aggressiveness; look at the crowd when Trannon goes after him and you can see it sort of collapse on top of him.

At that point, Trannon is in the middle of the Irish sideline and has just shown he will go after a coach. He should have been restrained, and was. That Polian or someone grabbed his facemask is really beside the point. They could have jumped on top of him and been justified in doing so.

Seriously, watch the tape again. I'm not spinning this in any way. You'll see (like everyone else can see) Trannon going after Powlus, and the Irish players/coaches reacting in defense.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:43 am | #

No, Michael, it isn't, unless Andrew meant to say "...OSU and it is fans...". "Its" is possessive.

I'll add this upon further reflection: OF COURSE John L. Smith is a jackass, and Domers should thank sweet Jeebus that he is. As a fan of a Big 10 team, I just wish he could have held it together against ND and saved the implosion for conference play. I really don't hate y'all that much - I just have a low opinion of this year's team. Given that they've so far shown that opinion to be right - and that the college football world spent so much time and effort trying to make you into the next OMG USC!!! (which plenty of you bought into) - it's hard not to twist the knife a little. Besides - what's college football without talking smack?
matsut | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:44 am | #

Oops...I typed it wrong. You're right it's the possessive, but the period goes inside the quotation mark, not outside.
Michael | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:45 am | #

Jay: Sure, Trannon was being a dick, but the yanking of his facemask by a coach is, to my mind, inexcusable under pretty much any circumstances. I just don't see it the way you do.

Andrew: I attribute the late closeness of our game with PSU to an outstanding effort by PSU's defense and an off day from Troy (except for that one play - Holy Lord, what a play). They've played us very tough in recent years regardless of their perceived quality vs. ours. It took Gamble's INT return to win in the NC year.

You're also right about Michigan; they worry me tremendously. But: we've got them at home, and Tressel's got a jedi mind trick thing going with them - and I was around for all 13 of Cooper's years (2-10-1 vs. UM), so I know whereof I speak. Still, it's possible they could beat us - and if they do, God help whoever they play in Glendale.
matsut | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 9:58 am | #

Matsut, you're still missing it. Trannon wasn't just being a dick, he was going after a coach. Seriously, watch it again, and follow Powlus around the screen. I don't even think this is debatable.

Consider what would have happened to Trannon if it were the Buckeye sideline, and he had just shoved Tressel.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 10:02 am | #

That's easy - Trannon walks out to his car Sunday morning and finds that it's been reduced to cinders by a laser-cannon-armed hovercraft.
matsut | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 10:10 am | #

Exactly Jay. Trannon would have gotten the crap beat out of him by almost any sideline in the Big 1?. He should be happy he was facing the Irish sideline instead of tOSU or UM.

I do agree with the poster earlier who said that they hoped Irish players would go onto an opposing sideline to help Quinn up. Sure, chances are that Stanton would be safe on the Irish sidelines, but had Quinn been down after a big hit on the MSU sideline, I'd sure want to see Ryan Harris, Sam Young, Carlson, Shark, somebody (the bigger the better just for the intimidation factor), go to get him. The trick is to focus on getting the QB up, get him back on the field, and don't get in anyone's face while you're there. Trannon was stupid to jaw at Ndukwe from the get go.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 10:22 am | #

Once Trannon shoves an opposing coach in the back, normal rules of behavior aren't necessarily appropriate. As a coach, if you see an opposing player shove a fellow coach, are you supposed to just let the kid keep going? "Gosh, I shouldn't stop him, because it's not appropriate for a coach to grab an opposing player." No, you're going to grab the aggressor and keep him from continuing to go after the coach. It's not like an Irish coach slipped a shiv in Trannon's ribs or anything.

Just because Woody Hayes got fired for sucker punching a Clemson player 28 years ago doesn't mean that every coach that lays a hand on an opposing player should get fired. (Just talkin' a little smack, Matsut!)

I agree with you about Tressel having a knack for outcoaching Lloyd Carr. In addition, he's still returning the series to the equilibrium point, after the UM dominance of the Cooper era. Having lived in Columbus most of my life, I'm we'll familiar with old Coop. Good coach, except for the last two games of each season.
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 10:31 am | #

"..we'll familiar..." Man, I'm having a problem with misplaced apostrophes today! I mean "well familiar," obviously.
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 10:34 am | #

Hey MATSUT et al still whining about MSU getting flagged also, did it really matter?

Two players later MSU punted. One play later Brady threw the ball right to MSU's DE who scored a TD. End result: MSU scored anyway.

These calls had no net effect on the game whatsoever. Though Trannan overreacting to being ushered away from the bench did serve to actually light a fire under the Irish's behind. Which I believe made it possible for them to take advantage of MSU when their throats started to get a little tight with about 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter.
SeanH | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 10:47 am | #

Just to clarify - I'm not taking issue with the scuffling in general, just with the yanking of a facemask in particular.

Also, it's not so much a "returning to equilibrium" situation as it is "that was then, this is now." Ask Brian and Yost if they don't agree.

On the subject of Woody, the other day I saw an old TV special from years ago called "Woody and Bo: the Ten Years' War". There were highlights from each of the games they coached against each other (Bo 5, Woody 4, one tie), and at the end, the two great men sitting together and reminiscing (Remember Bo played for and coached under Woody at Miami-OH and was also an assistant at OSU). What a tragedy for one of the greatest coaches ever's career to have ended in such ignominy.
matsut | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 10:51 am | #

In reference to the recently announced 5,000 season ticket lottery:
Where did the 5,000 tickets come from?
(excuse the preposition, we appear to be a little grammar touchy these days)
From punishing those owners of confiscated illegally sold season ticket sales?

On another note, why did ND only increase the seating size from 59,000 to 80,000 during the renovation back in the 80’s?
Thanks.
PhilB | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 10:55 am | #

What's with all the smack about how MSU gave the game away by making mistakes? I was discussing the weekend's events with my Buckeye-loving secretary -- we were finding common ground on our mutual hatred of Mark May -- and I pointed out that 90% of winning a college football contest is the exploitation of an opponent's mistakes. MSU did it to us in the first half; we did it to them in the second. Just because MSU "gave the game away" doesn't mean we didn't deserve to win it. Jane said to me, "As my Grandma used to say, If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle."

Exactly, Jane. Exactly.
Fitzwater | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 11:02 am | #

Agreed Fitzwater

Didn't tOSU put away their game against PSU with two pick 6s? Why is the MSU implosion different from Morelli sucking it up on two series in a row to end the game?
eddie | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 11:19 am | #

Matsut,

I love your obsession with our football program...you are reading our blogs as a Buckeye fan. I surely dont read mindless buckeye babble on www.clarettsahero.com, so....Thanks for the support! I'm glad the Irish consume you and cause you to pop-off...that's power!

Go Irish
Smitty2183 | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 11:26 am | #

Wow...a Clarett joke. That's good stuff.
matsut | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 11:42 am | #

Matsut, you have trailer park manners. You protest that you're not a flamer, yet your first post fires the following terms at ND: "pussies ... punk-ass ... bitch-ass ... grabasstic piece of amphibian shit for a team." (What's with the ass fascination, by the way? You're not an intimate acquaintance of Brian from mgoblog, are you?)

I can respect that kind of talk when there's a dram of wit injected. But you're just being belligerent. Seriously, all you're doing here is making Buckeye fans look like jackasses.
Shane MacGowan's Teeth | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 12:07 pm | #

Hey matsut,

If you and "your Buckeyes" had any pride, you'd do something about your 55% graduation rate.

Pathetic.
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 12:29 pm | #

The best part of all - the hit was legal. If I could paste a still-frame from my DVR I would. It is clear as day the first contact with Stanton was in bounds by at least a yard. #18 leaves his feet and makes contact with him well in-bounds, the speed of the play and the wet field made it look like a late hit because they slid so far into the rather shallow sideline at Spartan Stadium. Another pathetic day at the office for Big Ten refs.
Thundershaker | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 12:30 pm | #

Thundershaker - agree with you compeltely. I've looked at that numerous times ... and while I thought it was just my being a "homer" when looked at again just now on DVR, he is definitely in bounds. Now obviously he's intending to go out of bounds ... and Ndukwe shouldn't have hit him as hard as he did. But that said, he is hit IN BOUNDS. I thought the call was fishy at the time of the call, but I think it was one of those that was called becuase it definitely LOOKED BAD (aided by the wet field, etc.). But does anyone know the official rule? Are QBs protected if they're obviously heading out of bounds?
Irish03 | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 12:49 pm | #

Stanton might have been in bounds, but it wasn't by a yard. Given that Nedu just pasted him, it was a very justifiable call. ND fans would have gone apeshit if Quinn had been knocked into the bench on that play.
Shane MacGowan's Teeth | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 12:53 pm | #

"But: we've got them at home, and Tressel's got a jedi mind trick thing going with them - and I was around for all 13 of Cooper's years (2-10-1 vs. UM), so I know whereof I speak"

13 years, all undergrad baby. woo!
Fred | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 1:01 pm | #

The best part is that Trannon's little punk move was about the only move he made in the whole game. He got completely shut down by a TRUE FRESHMAN. Gotta love that. As for everything else going on in this post, I really think we should just ignore Buckeye fans. Talk to anyone in the country, they have about as bad a reputation for fans as you can get. Anyone remember Buckeye fans filling their coolers with their own human shit AT THEIR STADIUM after the Texas game last year? If you want a definition for lack of class, there you go. Yelling and cursing on a blog of a team that your team didn't even play this week is another.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 1:29 pm | #

John L. Smith is the greatest cartoon character of all time. He's like a crazy uncle who gets all drunk at Thanksgiving and starts hootin' and hollerin' like a jack ass.

cheers!
Patrick | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 1:37 pm | #

Anybody know the stats? Did Walls have Trannon the whole game? I know it seemed like he had him a lot. If he did, I am friggin' even more pumped about the future of the Irish
Smitty2183 | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 1:50 pm | #

I found the answer to one of my two questions that no one could answer.

"The 5,000 season tickets will come from season tickets that have been returned over the past several years, along with a reduction in tickets available to university personnel and others affiliated with the university."
PhilB | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 1:53 pm | #

I believe Trannon had 2 receptions for about 23 yards, but that's going from memory. Oh ... and a @%#$%@ touchdown pass.
Shane MacGowan's Teeth | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 1:54 pm | #

I don't know Shane. I would have been utterly pissed initially if Quinn got hit like that because it looked horrible. After watching the replays a few times though, Stanton clearly is in bounds. I think Stanton opens himself up to it more since he's a running threat. Quinn is more likely to just get to the sideline and get down to avoid that situation. You can't coach your defenders to let up on a QB like Stanton that consistently demonstrates his effectiveness as a runner. Even if you want to call that a foul, it's one that I'd take from Ndukwe as a coach. You get a hit that hard on a dual-threat QB a few times a game and they start rethinking taking off with the ball quite as often.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 2:43 pm | #

Giving the game away versus capitalizing on other's mistakes...I love how someone can say that MSU gave the game away when ND fumbled punts, threw gift interceptions and completely blew coverages to give MSU their huge lead in the first place...nobody gives a game away.

Executing as an offense and/or defense is how you play and win. And if the other team's offense makes mistakes, and yours does not, or if your defense drops a sure interception or recovers a fumble you are simply executing better or worse than the other team.

I could argue that MSU had nothing to do with its good fortune when they recovered Tommy Z.'s fumble, all credit should go to the rain...or rather, the ND defense for forcing the punt in the first place. Morelli on PSU threw two gift interceptions to OSU...should OSU not be number one because they were handed the game?? Of course not, their defense made plays. Analysts and pundits (I use the term in jest) focus on late game plays in determining a collapse, which is so short-sighted. What about the first half collapse that put ND in the hole to begin with. Winning is about executing better than the other team the entire game: coaching, offense, defense, and special teams. The only thing that could take a game away is a blown call...maybe...The irony over this Trannon stuff is MSU picked off Quinn for a quick TD a few plays later.

As for OSU trolls...go light something on fire in celebration of your Nittany Lion victory...
Jrirish | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 2:44 pm | #

Everyone should go and watch Smith's presser - it's hilarious.
iNDy | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 2:57 pm | #

Was Walls on Trannon the whole game? I honestly never pay attention to which corner is matched up w/ which receiver (especially in a cover 2 system).

I didn't even notice Walls until the last true play of the game where I saw him run onto the screen and point to lambert saying he intercepted the ball.

Damn.
suave andrew | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 3:06 pm | #

you can see video of all the sideline shenanigans as well as rhema's blocking on www.extrapoint.typepad.com
patrick | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 3:37 pm | #

Open your eyes, kids!

Like it or not ND fans, MSU's coach, John L., was right. Like he, I also disagree with the offsetting penalties.

Unfortunately for ND fans, although the calls had no impact on the game, the John L. side show may have an impact on future contests with big 10 opponents.

Not only is JL's press performance a tool to divert attention from his team's loss. Despite years of evidence to the contrary, I actually feel he's trying to influence big 10 officials by suggesting they are somehow biased in favor of ND. This may seem laughable, but the fact that he, and apparently the MSU administration, had no misgivings about conducting such a charade must tell you that at least the people of MSU think big 10 officials are dumb enough to swallow this rancid meal.

After viewing this incident, you would think that any sane individual would want to distance himself from it as much as possible. But no, not only is JL not avoiding the issue, he is highlighting it. I know we like to poke fun in these internet blogs, but can anyone actually tell me that they truly believe that JL and MSU officials are complete morons? They obviously feel that big 10 officials can be bullied.

Why else would you have a press conference to highlight a video showing one of your best players, Trannon, losing his mind. This is football, but even if it were gymnastics, you can't have an opposing player trot over to the opposition's bench to stand there lording over them with attitude, as if they were supposed to fall in worship at his feet, and something tells me that Trannon wasn't just standing there quietly or searching for someone willing to exchange addresses for the next round of Christmas cards. If he were going over just to protect his QB his mouth should have been shut and both of his hands should have been attached to Stanton's jersey, to yank him back unto the playing field. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where the problems began.

As I watched the incident, I was suprised and struck by how long it seemed to take for the officials to get over to the sidelines to attempt to pull MSU players away. I felt this is were the breakdown occured. If a team has any guts at all, there is only so long that they will allow an opponent to berate and humiliate them on there own sideline. I felt the ND players showed remarkable restraint in trying to allow the officials to do their jobs, but enough was enough. This was a sideline play that happens all the time in football. I suppose the officials can be somewhat forgiven for assuming that MSU players would act normally, brush themselves off, and resume play. Come to think of it, maybe JL's dance of smoke and mirrors isn't all bad, maybe it can be used as a training tape for officials.

All in all, however, I guess the most disturbing part of this entire incident is the total lack of remorse, and accountability on the part of MSU for the actions of it's players. There seems to be no regret on the part of JL or MSU regarding the actions of Trannon, and his apparent lack of conscience about even going after a member of the opposition's coaching staff. They're treating him like he's some sort of innocent bystander waiting on the Good Humor Man who was just shocked that ND's players didn't hand him candy and ice cream treats.

JL is not a complete fool. He's seen the tape. However, it is obvious that he feels the big 10 officials are idiots, or at least he feels they can be bullied. It would be justice if they replied to the tape with a ruling that Trannon would be suspended along with any other MSU player who voluntarily finds himself on an opponent's sideline. (Sort of like basketball in reverse). In addition, they could also throw JL a bone and acknowledge the poor performance of the officials by suspending the entire crew for their tardiness in getting over to control his players since he obviously has a lack of will to do so. These same officials can be ordered to return a portion of their game checks to ND's coaches, for forcing them to do their jobs for them.

And lastly, the official flagging Ndukwe for the non-late hit can be ordered to provide a larger portion of his check to charity. For as I stated earlier ND fans, I do agree with JL's overriding premise. JL was right, there never should have been offsetting penalties. Nedu was robbed.
Kalc | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 6:04 pm | #

Spot on, Kalc.

After watching the replay at that extrapoint site, I now believe that John L. himself should have been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Never, ever, is it appropriate to berate an official in the manner that he did. He threw his hat down now once, not twice, but thrice. He threw it down, picked it up, and threw it down again! His ass would have been ejected if this were baseball. He would have been T'd up immediately if this were basketball. He probably would have been ejected if this were hockey but I don't know those rules as well. Regardless, his actions were immature, irresponsible, and he, not any of the ND coaches, should be the one who is reprimanded.

I'm not saying you can't yell at the refs. Every coach in every sport has and will always yell at the refs. But you cannot "show up" the refs in the way he was doing and expect everything to be just peachy.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 6:24 pm | #

Kalc and Erik -

You guys are a hoot; thanks for the laugh. Those refs are coming to get you... WATCH OUT.
Sideshow Bob | Email | Homepage | 09.28.06 - 11:54 pm | #