The Big Sky’s message is clear: We’ll admit we’re wrong, but don’t you dare say it first.
After a hard-fought game last Saturday, it came down to a final drive with the Sacramento State Hornets on the move. Junior quarterback Cardell Williams found junior tight end Jordan Williams downfield.
As the ball was in the air, junior safety Tim Jackson had excellent coverage and contested the catch. After the ball hit Williams’ hands, his foot landed out of bounds before any part of his body was in bounds. However, the officials called it a complete pass and placed the ball at the two-yard line.
The officials reviewed the play but said they couldn’t find enough evidence to overturn the call, so it stood. The Hornets ran it in for the game-winning touchdown on the next play.
Frustrated by the call, head coach Thomas Ford Jr. posted a video on his social media accounts after the game, expressing his displeasure with the officials.
That decision would cost Ford and the Vandals. The Big Sky Conference announced Tuesday that they fined Ford $2,500 for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy.
“I don’t think that’s the right call,” Ford said post-game. “It got reviewed, and they said there wasn’t enough evidence. We were in a position to make a play, thought we made the play, but then were not given the play. So again, not talking about the officials, but they definitely missed one on that call.”
Ford also expressed frustration for his players, who made enough plays to win the game in the fourth quarter but felt slighted by the missed call.
“The feeling that all of our players had was the same feeling I had. Like, we had just got something taken away from us, and we could not control it,” Ford said.
The Big Sky Conference responded with a statement on Monday to address the incident.
“The Big Sky Conference has reviewed the play with 12 seconds left in Saturday’s game. The officials on the field called a pass attempt by Sacramento State successful, and the replay did not overturn this call,” the statement read. “It is evident that incorrect judgment was applied to this play. The Big Sky acknowledges and regrets this error in officiating, and as a result has suspended multiple officials who worked that contest. The conference office will have no further public comment on this matter.”
At his weekly press conference, Ford felt grateful that the Big Sky acknowledged their mistake and was looking forward to moving on to Idaho State.
“It shows that the Big Sky cares and they didn’t get it right in the moment but wanted to make it right as best they could,” Ford said. “Obviously, you can’t go back and replay the down by any stretch, but it was good to be validated in the sense that they did make a statement to get it right now. Very appreciative of the Big Sky and the commissioner for doing so.”
This isn’t the first time an incident like this has occurred, and it certainly won’t be the last.
The conference has been under scrutiny for its officiating for years. Inconsistent refereeing and bad in-game decisions have cost teams games, and made everyone question whether Big Sky referees will ever be held to a higher standard.
Players, coaches, fans and everyone involved are held to a high standard, so why aren’t the referees and the Big Sky? The suspension seems more like an attempt to save face than to actually fix the problem.Instead of owning up to their mistake and taking full accountability, they do just enough to make it seem like they are trying to fix the issue.
Ford’s fine amounts to punishment for telling the truth. His players made plays that should have won the game. They did their jobs. The officials didn’t. And when their coach stood up for them, it cost him money he shouldn’t have had to spend.
Ayden Wood
Fantastic report good job and good luck on further reports