Bitchfest

by Stephen Expat on Sep 18, 2007 8:57 AM CDT in Arkansas Razorback Basketball

When John and I were college roommates, we had a poster of the 1983-84 basketball Razorbacks on our wall. The poster, which was John’s, featured headshots of the team members (with hilarious 80s hairstyles, I might add) and had a schedule at the bottom in which one could fill in the game scores. We were in the fifth grade when that season took place, and, at the end of the schedule, a 10-year-old John had scrawled the score of Arkansas’ NCAA Tournament loss to Virginia and added in parentheses, "Bad calls lost the game." In Arkansas, the persecution complex begins at an early age.

I remembered that comment after the pass interference call on Kevin Woods in the final minute of Saturday’s game and thought it would be fun to reminisce about other controversial or "bad" calls. To my mind, the two Grand Poobahs of controversial calls are the traveling call against U.S. Reed in the waning seconds of the Hogs’ 1979 NCAA loss to Larry Bird’s Indiana State team (any self-respecting Razorback fan knows he was tripped) and the pass interference call in the 1982 SMU game.

The floor is now open for comments. Gripe away.

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I think the “holding” call on George Wilson in the 2003 Auburn game is up there. If Matt Jones’ touchdown stands I think that whole season goes differently.

by hogcaller on Sep 18, 2007 11:01 AM CDT reply actions

For me, the SMU “pass interference, my ass” call really represents the epitome of the Hogs getting screwed. I was 9 years old at the time and I think that game represented an important loss of innocence in terms of me realizing that life isn’t fair.

Two basketball ones spring to mind:

* the charging call against Todd Day in the waning seconds of our first-ever SEC bball game (against Alabama, 1992). Of course, the fact that we were watching that in a room with about 20 Bama fans didn’t help.

* the call against Clint McDaniel in the last minute of the 1995 Final Four game against UNC. If I recall, he was called for walking during a loose ball scramble when he pretty obviously got fouled. Of course, we went on to win that one, but it was pretty infuriating at the time.

-John

by Razorback Expats on Sep 18, 2007 6:50 PM CDT reply actions

“I think the "holding" call on George Wilson in the 2003 Auburn game is up there. If Matt Jones’ touchdown stands I think that whole season goes differently.”

How about the spearing penalty against Bua in the next game versus Florida? I’ve seen more vicious hits in flag football games. The Gators couldn’t stop us by that time in the game. We get the stop and score to take the game. Not with the penalty. That game could have turned the season around too.

I also ‘enjoyed’ the personal foul facemask against our long-snapper in the Capital One bowl last year. Even the commentators said they’d never seen anything like it and Bob Griese has seen some football in his day.

One more thing and I’ll rewind this rant until next time (next week?): I’m gettng real tired of the Hogs being the team that provides great memories for other teams. They’re the ones that walk away with the great wins and we’re the ones who always ‘fight the good fight’ (for which we get precious little recognition). Anyway…GO HOGS !!!! BEAT KENTUCKY!!!

by Hawgfan100 on Sep 20, 2007 12:07 AM CDT reply actions

i’d have to disagree with the bua take. i was sitting right where it happened. he left his feet, went helmet to helmet, and it was close enough to the sideline for the refs to be worried about leak being out of bounds. that was more a terrible play on bua’s part than a florida bailout by the refs. however, i think we’re all in agreement that we score if the pick holds up. what’s unknown is would we have held on for the victory, or given the refs excuses to make more game changing bad calls.

also, i think we’ve received some pretty good calls in our favor over the years. the syracuse time out, loose ball, travel exchange being the main one that comes to mind.

by robb white ellett on Sep 21, 2007 10:36 AM CDT reply actions

Like many Arkansans, I have followed the advice of therapists and blocked the precise circumstances out of my mind — but I have never seen a worse, more game-deciding call than the SMU pass interference call in 82…. Oh the horror….

by Troy on Sep 22, 2007 2:08 PM CDT reply actions