ACC officiating coordinator Doug Rhoads said today that Ron Cherry's officiating crew handled the spot of the ball correctly on a key fourth-down play during the final minute of Maryland's 38-31 defeat of N.C. State on Saturday.
The play has caused controversy because the N.C. State defense appeared to stop running back D.J. Adams short of the first-down marker on a rush on a fourth-and-1 at the N.C. State 32-yard line.
But the officials gave Adams what appeared to be a generous spot of the ball, and coach Tom O'Brien was visibly frustrated when the officials' measurement showed Adams gained the first down that clinched the win for Maryland with 48 seconds left.
"The play is handled correctly as well as can be done by human beings," Rhoads said this morning in a telephone interview.
Rhoads said the line judge and head linesman ran in hard like they're supposed to after the play to mark the spot of the ball when Adams was stopped. He said on short-yardage plays where many large bodies are present, it's difficult to determine the spot of the ball.
The officials estimated as accurately as possible where the forward-most point of the ball was, according to Rhoads. He said the TV replay official did review the spot, and the first governing principle of replay reviews is the presumption that the call on the field is correct.
"The standard to overturn or reverse that is very high," Rhoads said. "That’s irrefutable video evidence. And I personally looked at the video of that, and you cannot ascertain the forward-most point of the ball, and it’s obscured because of all the bodies in there."
Had Adams been ruled short of the first down, N.C. State would have taken possession at its own 32-yard line with 48 seconds remaining, trailing by seven points. Although the Wolfpack didn't have any timeouts remaining, there would have been time to attempt to work quickly to get the ball down the field for a tying touchdown.
O'Brien declined to comment this morning about the call. Immediately after the game, he refrained from second guessing the officials.
"It sure looked like [we stopped them] from where we were and we were right on the chains," O'Brien said Saturday night. ". . .[The call] was confirmed, so I guess it wasn't a stop. We thought we had him stopped, but my opinion doesn't count."
Comments
Aaahhhhhh
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 23:06 — gvillegatrHome sweet home. ncsu fans whining and bitching about officiating. Some things never change ... including jpdohio NOT amongst the many whining pack fans.
Why whine about a bad call?
Tue, 11/30/2010 - 14:29 — JPDOhioIt just distracts from the real reason that the Pack lost the game. Dropped TD passes, untimely turnovers, inability to cover Torrey Smith. Eliminate even one of those problems and its a different game entirely. And you avoid getting to a point where an official's call at the end of the game matters.
Never tolerated complaints about the officials from any team I managed, because I didn't want my players making excuses for not delivering. Same goes with my staff now. If you fail (as everyone does sometimes), look in the mirror and figure out how you can do better. Don't look for someone else to blame. That's what liberals do.
"If you fail (as everyone
Tue, 11/30/2010 - 16:27 — Heels20"If you fail (as everyone does sometimes), look in the mirror and figure out how you can do better. Don't look for someone else to blame. That's what liberals do."
Quote of the year right there.
Gotta love it
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 23:23 — Heels20Notice that no one has mentioned the BS helmet-to-helmet call on Maryland or the inadvertent whistle not accounted for that put State in position for an easy touchdown.
Memo to all State fans: NO ONE likes Ron Cherry. He screws EVERYONE. Hell, the guy threw a 15-yarder on Tebow. You just don't do that.
Losing teams
Tue, 11/30/2010 - 11:13 — gvillegatrNever talk about the call they got or weren't called in their favor.
Far Ron Cherry. Put the tar
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 23:14 — ma75uncFar Ron Cherry. Put the tar holes on the death penalty. Far Chuck. Far Herb. Far Les. Har Sid...he don't need no degree, he played for coach V. All Carolina does is cheat. Har Rick Barnes. Har Calipari. Far Herb. Far Lee. No, keep Butch. Yap yip whimper yelp. Awoooooooooooooooooo drool cough wheeze. GO TATE!!!!!!!! LOL
This is so entertaining! Lets open that 97 Wolf Blass Reserve, and have some of that Smoked Gouda before our Badmitten game with the McPhersons at The Club darling.
And Maryland is a household
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 19:53 — tbr549And Maryland is a household name? Lol
Never was, never will be.
On top of that you have all these Maryland natives running as fast as possible to NC to get out of that h***hole. I don't blame them, I would to.
Everyone has missed the bad no call
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 19:47 — ezuncThe interception that Russell threw with the defensive back arm wrapped around the NCSU reciever. An easy interference call blown by this crew. Later in the game this same defender was call for a similar play. This no call gave Maryland the ball first and goal instead of NCSU KEEPING THE BALL. This was the worst NO CALL of the game and this should suspend the crew from ever calling again. For your information when Ron Cherry calls a Clemson game the line in Las Vegas moves away from Clemson. Makes you wonder how this bozo keeps his job.
Ron Cherry
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 20:16 — Goola1"Bozo" is putting it nicely . I know Ron Cherry personally from working with him on the Norfolk Southern railroad. He has always been a "rectal BOZO"
Ron Cherry
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 20:16 — Goola1"Bozo" is putting it nicely . I know Ron Cherry personally from working with him on the Norfolk Southern railroad. He has always been a "rectal BOZO"
TERPS 38 to 31
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 19:07 — tddolan23Mediocrity would be an upgrade over the last 30 years, back to "loserville" Pack fans as you had your 10 seconds of fame with a mention on sportscenter this weekend (before you choked away the season). Talk to you again in 2040!
Butch Davis =Cheater
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 18:36 — tbr549SBREID
I was at the UNC-NC State game. Talked to a lot of UNC Fans and not one said they didn't care about football. All of them said that they couldn't believe that that Butch didn't know what was going on and they would like to see Butch fired. Steve Spurrier himself said that Butch had to be the only coach in NCAA football who didn't know what Blake was doing. And if football wasn't important at UNC the administration would have fired the cheater.
You know less about what is going on at the UNC football program than Butch Davis. And that's hard to believe.
And your statement about probation the next year at State after the 83 championship is ludicrous. That makes your entire post irrelevant.
A lot of whinning going on.
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 17:55 — SBREIDA lot of whinning going on. I agree the call was bad. But the chances of State winning were still slim regardless. And the UNC bashing? State only won the UNC game against the most depleated team (suspensions and injuries) in NCAA history on an incredible fluke play. And it is only football...not basketball. Not many at UNC cared for very long. Cheaters? UNC has not been accused of doing anything wrong. Players already on the team took gifts...nothing to do with recruiting, the coaches or the school. I do, however, recall State winning the 1974 and 1983 NCAA basketball cahmpionships and being placed on proibation the next year both times. And State is not even UNC's rival. We beat their rival....Duke.
The word mediocrity has been used in these posts often. Year in and year out...in all sports...that's a good description of State. And yes the ACC and the TV people are probably happy to have two schools that might attract a national audience.
Inspired Accessorizing SBReid
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 18:44 — phillyfanI know you are fashion conscience because you see how sharp those rose colored glasses look with your Walmart-bought powder blue outfit.
Bashing UNC? There really isn't a need for that anymore. You guys have permanently destroyed your reputation all on your own. Your trying to nuance facts like whether UNC has been "accused"over technicalities is like a divorcee claiming to be a virgin. You and "your team" will never be able to wash the filth off. Half of what you wrote is factually incorrect, as in "recruiting was not inolved." Black Santa was running that whore house you had over there. As for it being "only football, not basketball." That's part of the reason you people will never climb up out of this outhouse hole you have dug. You're also slandering State in terms of being on probation. State was not on probation after the 1974 or 1983 championships. You probably aren't old enough to know what you are talking about there. State was put on probation for incidents that are microscopic conpared to UNC's whoring, denial and pretending that Butch, oops, I meant to say the king, is wearing clothes. My only greater disappoint would be to find out that someone so out of their depth as you, who writes half-a@@ed posts filled with errors of many kinds, might have graduated from Carolina. If you were a football player, odds are that you were admitted as an "exception." But, wait, I forgot you and UNC don't care about football.
Inspired Accessorizing SBReid
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 18:44 — phillyfanI know you are fashion conscience because you see how sharp those rose colored glasses look with your Walmart-bought powder blue outfit.
Bashing UNC? There really isn't a need for that anymore. You guys have permanently destroyed your reputation all on your own. Your trying to nuance facts like whether UNC has been "accused"over technicalities is like a divorcee claiming to be a virgin. You and "your team" will never be able to wash the filth off. Half of what you wrote is factually incorrect, as in "recruiting was not inolved." Black Santa was running that whore house you had over there. As for it being "only football, not basketball." That's part of the reason you people will never climb up out of this outhouse hole you have dug. You're also slandering State in terms of being on probation. State was not on probation after the 1974 or 1983 championships. You probably aren't old enough to know what you are talking about there. State was put on probation for incidents that are microscopic conpared to UNC's whoring, denial and pretending that Butch, oops, I meant to say the king, is wearing clothes. My only greater disappoint would be to find out that someone so out of their depth as you, who writes half-a@@ed posts filled with errors of many kinds, might have graduated from Carolina. If you were a football player, odds are that you were admitted as an "exception." But, wait, I forgot you and UNC don't care about football.
ACC'S WISHLIST FULFILLED
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 17:21 — tbr549ACC got what it wanted, Florida State and Virginia Tech. The ACC football championship has been neglected since it began. They believed they needed this FSU and VT matchup to pump life into the game. Greensboro is very happy NC State or Maryland is not in that game..
Two observations from the game. The Maryland players were dirty. Taking cheap shots and playing dirty. That one play where Russell Wilson ran out of bounds and the Maryland player standing on the sidelines basically knocked him flat. And the helmet hit on Mustufa Greene.
Dirty, No other way to describe it. I hope NC State remembers that next year and pays it back.
Number Two
The officiating was bad. Everyone knows it. That clearly was not a first down. But it should not have come down to that. NC State was not ready to handle that kind of dirty smashmouth football that Maryland brought. Again, I hope NC State remembers that next year.
Smashmouth football?
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 17:32 — SurferThis stuff is just getting too good. I hate that it has to end so soon. Don't worry, I doubt State will forget this game any time soon, but a whole year I am not too sure about.
blown opportunity not call...
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 16:51 — occasionalIt was a bad spot of the ball but it should never have come down to that. Solid teams have solid players that make not just game changing plays but program changing plays. Great Coaches instill the desire in them to make the plays. No adjustments to stop the pass equals no win! Cherry may be a lousy official but he didn't lose the game for the Pack, O'Brian and the players did. Oh, for the Donnan days! Anybody remember the Pack going down to the wire with mighty Penn State in Happy Valley?
don't think that one call was responsible for the entire game
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 16:45 — sftwareguy.. but not having a dog in the fight, I'll have to admit I thought the officials did a pretty poor job on this one. NCSU played a poor game (ever think of double teaming #82 after the up-teenth catch ??) and their QB had a game of a lifetime-to-date, but a single spot shouldn't determine the game.
That said, NC State had a better season than projected and I think O'Brien did a great job with who he has.
Horrible call
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 16:36 — dsspr1or not, my Wuffies did not lose the game because of it.....too many mistakes and too deep a hole in the 2nd half :(
Ron Cherry
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 16:21 — rod1972Not only does he and his merry crew of morons consistently screw up, but then you have to listen to him try to explain in prolonged ebonics what it is they just botched.
Way to go Wolfpack, 30 years
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 16:16 — tddolan23Way to go Wolfpack, 30 years of sports mediocrity.............it's hard to do even if you were trying! Remember 1983, that's the last time anyone in the country was aware that North Carolina had a state university. Fear the turtle! How is your soccer team this year?
Ron Cherry
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 15:47 — bradleyb123I say this with all seriousness. In the beginning of the game, my heart SANK when I saw that Ron Cherry's crew was officiating our game. I told my wife we weren't going to win. When Rob Cherry officiates State games, he finds a way to turn it into a struggle or a loss for the Pack. If there's any doubt whatsoever to be had, he's giving it to the other team. That's how he rolls.
When I learned that they gave us Ron Cherry, the thought popped into my head that maybe "the fix was in" and we didn't stand a chance. A few inches here, a holding call there. Nothing ever happens that you can definitely pin on Cherry. But the man finds ways to officiate NC State into a loss.
I don't say this about ANY other officials. This is the Cherry effect. Literally ONE INCH was the difference in this game. And how can anyone really say he missed a spot by an inch intentionally? But when a player gets stacked up like that, the refs generally spot the ball back at the original line of scrimmage. But not Ron. He gave the kid a half yard on 4th and short. There's no doubt in my mind he was making it close -- intentionally. Doing his best to make it that much harder for the Pack.
Had we gotten the ball back, he'd have called holding or something on a big gainer pass play. No way was he going to let this one slip away for Maryland.
It wouldn't surprise me if Swofford even had something to do with this. After all, we can't have NC State in the ACC championship game before Butch and his beloved Tar Heels.
Swofford
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 17:03 — SurferOh, now I get it.... Swofford instructs Searcy to tip RW's hail mary back into the field of play so State can score a touchdown against UNC (hard to phatham, I know, but it is all in his ultimate scheme to ultimately "get State"). He then proceeds to insure that Ron Cherry officiates the highly anticipated game between NCSU and the Terps. With all of the dropped passes by NCSU WRs and the porous NCSU secondary, Swofford assures himself that no addtitional intervention on his part is necessary. Then RW mounts a comeback and with NCSU about to score, Swofford buzzes Cherry on his pager with 1:26 left in the game. Cherry allows State to score but later when spotting the ball after Maryland's fourth down try, he slips out his GPS to ensure that the tip of the ball is only an inch or so over the line. Yep, that makes perfectly good sense. Actually, it all began with Ponder's fumble, but I guess that that is so obvious that it is not worth mentioning.
nOT SWOFFORD
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 18:01 — JPDOhioI don't know about the Searcy tip or Ponder's fumble, but it was the Maryland fans at BW3 that called in that last first down call.
Yes
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 15:58 — Heels20Because clearly State got no calls...
This is a joke
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 15:37 — Heels20Nowhere near a first down. The Pack got its share of calls as well, but that particular one was awful.
Ron Cherry's crew worst in ACC!
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 14:24 — PACK_MIKE77Ron Cherry's crew always has problems. I want to know what happened on the play where the State player caught the ball on the 3 yard line for a first down and there was a whistle right in the middle of the play. It went to review and Cherry wanted the clock to have 1:26 put back on the clock which would have meant either the play was blown dead or no time went off the clock. Then he put the head phones back on and had the clock operator put the 1:22 back on the clock. Then continued the game like nothing happened.
Does anyone know what that was all about?
Ron Cherry's games also last forever and seem to have more reviews than other games. They also had a big meeting that lasted a couple of minutes and nothing was ever said or done.
With TV timeouts, replays, etc.. The game is long enough. We don't need such indecision by referees to lengthen the game even more.
The Wolpfack was robbed
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 14:15 — PlatowasrightFor sure. Ron Cherry strikes again.
Handled Correctly?
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 14:03 — up1andoutNot only did the officals miss the call, but the head guy missed the question. "The play is handled correctly as well as can be done by human beings". What about the accuracy of the call? The call is the issue, not your procedures. The runner was on top of the pile for everyone to see. You only need to determine if the ball passed the first down marker. So now outstanding officiating is measured by a list of check boxes? The game should have never come down to this. It was in State's hands ...... or maybe the officals.
Two Thoughts
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 13:43 — phillyfan1) What video is Rhoads looking at? This was not close. If you want irrefutable evidence, here are the video/frame captures that show how off the mark was.
http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/its-official-ncsu-screwed-out-of-comeback-bid-29280#comment-286637
2)It sounds like the burden to overturn a call on the field is way too high. Rhoads himself says that the crew were doing what was humanly possible. Why would it be hard to put a virtual line where the first down is? Professional tennis now has technology that demonstrates irrefutably whether a shot is in or out. Why not use that technology for touchdowns, first downs and out of bounds plays. If there is a question, just show the fans the technology virtual line that backs up or contradicts a ref. Have it show the ball the way Fox used to handle prohockey, by highlighting the position of the ball at all times. Not for viewers but for the refs.
We lost - enough is enough
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 13:33 — stevemichaelsWe knew what we had to do - but instead we decided to drop easy passes, stop tackling or guarding receivers and stopped blocking - we made their QB look like Joe Montana - it was a descraceful performance, once that everyone should be embarrased with - yes the last call stunk, but we had lost that game much earlier. Now we will be saddled with playing in the "i don't care bowl" and the college will expect us fans to drop thousands in travelling to see them - not me. You want fan support, stop choking in critical games
Boo Hoo! 8-4 O'Brien 4-0
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 14:48 — PACK_MIKE77Boo Hoo! 8-4
O'Brien 4-0 against the cheaters.
All done with 2 and 3 star recruits according to the N&O.
This coaching staff has my support. Good luck in the bowl game!
I am sure the players would not mind going to the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco or any bowl in Florida.
Boo Hoo! 8-4 O'Brien 4-0
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 14:47 — PACK_MIKE77Boo Hoo! 8-4
O'Brien 4-0 against the cheaters.
All done with 2 and 3 star recruits according to the N&O.
This coaching staff has my support. Good luck in the bowl game!
I am sure the players would not mind going to the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco or any bowl in Florida.
Sorry Mike..4-0 vs UNC is
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 16:32 — TheBigGuySorry Mike..4-0 vs UNC is not enough for me. We were fortunate to beat a severly depleted tarhole team by 4 lousy pts. Over the last 4 yrs we've been mired in mediocrity. I am not looking forward to the post RW era at all.
Well...
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 12:58 — YAR8packState's pass defense or complete and utter lack there of is the main reason for the Pack losing to maryland, followed only by the alligator arms/brick hands of State's receivers. The Pack was lucky to make a semi-comeback. Maryland shredded NCSU enough to make Oliver North blush.
That call is still wrong. I don't give a fudge what Rhoads has to say. I guess Rhoads is taking up for the complete moron that is Ron *bleeping* Cherry. Is there a more inept, sure to bungle calls referee, and damned near impossible to understand when he tells the fans what the calls are in all of college sports than the dolt that is Ron *bleeping* Cherry? Oh well, at least good ol' Ron "gives the business" to everybody at some point.
Once again, no way to know if State would've tied it up. But it sure would be nice to know it truly was decided on the field and not by good ol' Ron.
OK GO WOLFPACK!!!
Doug Rhoads
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 12:42 — pressingncaa@gm...Not surprising. This is the same guy who endorsed the right of a player to throw a punch during the game with no penalty beyond expulsion from that game.