Believe me, we are going to talk about officiating as we react to the 2020 Rose Bowl. We will devote a few articles solely to that topic. Keep reading us at Badgers Wire to get those articles.
In this first reaction to Wisconsin’s 28-27 loss to Oregon, however, we can’t focus ONLY on the officiating. This game’s basic story (which we will unpack over the next few days) is that the Badgers suffered a cruel fate similar to what the Ohio State Buckeyes endured in the Fiesta Bowl versus Clemson.
Wisconsin and Ohio State both largely outplayed their opponents in these bowl games. They both proved to be stronger and tougher. They both made more huge mistakes. They both got the short end of pivotal — and bad — calls.
Wisconsin was jobbed by the refs, but Wisconsin didn’t do its job well enough, either. Wisconsin was worked by the refs, but Wisconsin didn’t do its work well enough. Wisconsin got screwed, but it had many chances to tighten the screws against Oregon, and could not do so.
Wisconsin’s mistakes and the officials’ mistakes both shaped the outcome. Not one group of mistakes in isolation, but both groups of mistakes, caused this annoying, frustrating, one-point loss.
Wisconsin didn’t get the benefit of the doubt on any 50-50 call. The holding calls which stopped multiple first-half drives were not the most convincing holding calls ever witnessed, but like a lot of holding calls, they could be justified to a certain extent. However, the late offensive pass interference penalty called on Danny Davis, who was jammed by the Oregon cornerback and did not make the first engagement on the play, was absurd. We all know what a pick play (offensive pass interference) looks like, and that wasn’t it.
Wisconsin did get pummeled by the refs all day long, and it was a joke.
Yet, the Badgers committed gobs of really bad mistakes. They didn’t just commit four turnovers; they committed four turnovers which gave Oregon a short field. If Wisconsin had at least committed turnovers which led to a long field for Oregon, the Badgers’ defense probably would have been able to take care of business. The accumulation of short fields was too much for this team to overcome… in tandem with the refs.
Ohio State knows what this feels like. The Buckeyes should have led Clemson 24-0 or 27-0 instead of just 16-0. They had so many chances to put Clemson away, and they whiffed. Clemson stayed close, and when the Tigers stayed close, they got multiple crucial calls (bad calls) in their favor, especially a fumble return for a touchdown which was overturned. Ohio State’s mistakes and the refs’ mistakes killed the Buckeyes. It was little different for Wisconsin.
Happy New Year? Not for Wisconsin or Ohio State.