With College Football heating up this weekend, I thought I would pose the question: What's the worst blown call that you've seen in a major College Football game? My vote goes for the 1988 Miami-Notre Dame game played in South Bend. Miami was coming off a 12-0 season and were defending national champions. They had already shut out the preseason #1 FSU 31-0 and made a miraculous comeback to beat Michigan in Ann Arbor 31-30. Meanwhile, Lou Holtz in his 3rd year at Notre Dame had the Irish unbeaten and in the top 10. This game was a great one and Notre Dame used a huge interception return by Pat Terrell on Steve Walsh to take a 31-21 lead into the 4th quarter. Miami was driving early in the 4th (I believe, it may had been late in the 3rd) and was faced with a 4th and 3 at the ND 4. Remember, Miami could still get a first down without scoring. Walsh went back to pass and threw a pass in the flat to Cleveland Gary. Gary started running toward the goal line when he was tackled from behind. As he was falling, he clearly stretched his arm with the football and was marked down at the 1. As he laid the ball on the ground, it came loose and an Irish player fell on it. I'm sitting at home and like the announcers on TV saying, "First and goal for Miami." However, to my dismay, the referees awarded the ball to Notre Dame. I screamed "The ground can't cause a fumble!" It didn't matter as Notre Dame ate up valuable time on the clock. Miami later got a field goal, but instead of being tied they still trailed by a touchdown. They then scored a touchdown with under a minute to go but went for 2 and didn't get it, losing 31-30. Later, I read in the USA Today that the head official admitted blowing the call. He didn't rule it a fumble. He thought that Miami couldn't get a first down--that they had to score a touchdown and awarded the ball to ND on downs . I was so pissed when I read this!! Of course, Miami never lost another game that season and Notre Dame didn't either. Just think--if Testaverde had a halfway decent game against Penn State in the '87 Fiesta Bowl and the zebras don't blow this call in '88, Miami could have won possibly 4 straight national championships. Just thinking about that call makes me furious. Just another reason to wish that Notre Dame would never win another game. Sorry to go on so long..what do others think was the worst blown call?
There will never be a worse blown call then in the early 1990's Nebraska-Missouri game and the famous 5 downs. Nebraska went 4 and out late in the game while down by a few, the refs apparently forget they've already had 4 downs, and Nebraska scores a TD on the fifth down. They won the national championship that year, by the way. This call is only made worse when thinking of the Nebraska-MU game a couple of years ago when Nebraska got the late TD off the kicked hail-Mary in the endzone. Strange things happen when NE and MU face off.
That was Colorado, not Nebraska. And I'm not sure if that's the year CU won the national title, but it might have been.
Nuggets4: that was in 1990 when they shared it with Georgia Tech. I'll never forget the look on McCartney's face when he found out that Tech had been voted #1 by the Coaches Poll. He was addressing the Colorado fans and they were celebrating the #1 vote in the AP Poll and then he found out. He looked like he could kill somebody!! This was one of the obvious choices, but I didn't pick it because of my bias towards Miami.
I remember that too. Wow. I just can't remember if the Missouri game was that year or not. For some reason I think the Missouri game actually happened in '94 with Kordell at QB. I could be wrong though.
the nebraska-missouri game was the one where davidson(the wr), kicked the ball in the air while lying on the ground and caught it for the go ahead score i do believe
Nugget4, it was definitely the NC year. CU was an upstart team, and they beat NU that year. They went on to beat ND for a share of the NC. That team had Bienemy, Flanigan, and I think Sal Aunesse. The 5 down thing definitely happened during the NC run. I remember NU fans holding signs saying "CU< you only get 4 downs here...."
I think this was the year after Aunese and that Aunese had cancer by this time. CU's QB for 1990 was either Charles Johnson, the future WR, or Darian Hagan. I can't remember, but I know it wasn't Aunese because he was ill that year.
