JEFF SEIDEL

Seidel: Officiating worse than Michigan football's mistakes, turnovers

Jeff Seidel
Detroit Free Press Columnist
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh signals that Ohio State was short on fourth-and-1 during the second overtime Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016 at Ohio Stadium.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was seething mad at the officiating — for good reason.

“I’m bitterly disappointed in the officiating today,” Harbaugh said, after Ohio State pulled out a 30-27 double-overtime victory on Saturday over Michigan.

Harbaugh had a valid point. There were a series of bad calls in this game. Calls that changed the outcome.

Having said that, let me be clear: Michigan certainly had an opportunity to take this game out of the hands of the officials. The Wolverines made several mistakes that flipped this game. Two interceptions and a fumbled snap instantly come to mind. The Wolverines had a chance to win this game in regulation, despite the officiating, but they failed to do it.

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Still, Harbaugh had a point about those calls. Harbaugh ticked off several plays that the officials blew. “They had two penalties all day,” Harbaugh said. “Multiple holding penalties let go. Multiple false starts.”

In double overtime, Harbaugh felt that receiver Grant Perry was interfered with. A replay showed that Perry was basically spun around, which was clearly a penalty. “He was clearly being hooked before the ball got there,” Harbaugh said.

And Harbaugh was upset with a pass interference against Delano Hill. “The ball was clearly uncatchable,” he said.

Then, on the biggest play of the game, in the biggest game of the year, with so much on the line, the officials didn’t make the right call. In my eyes, Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett was tackled short of the first down on a fourth-and-one from the Michigan 16.

There was a body in the way. The game should have ended right there and Michigan should have advanced to the Big Ten Championship game and still have a shot to play in the College Football Playoff.

On the field, it was called a first down. The play was reviewed and the call stood. Even though, in the replays that I saw, Barrett was tackled short of the first down.

“It wasn’t a first down, by that much,” Harbaugh said, holding up his hands more than six inches apart.

Certainly those plays changed this game. The final spot, alone, would have given Michigan the win over its arch rival.

Which brings us to quarterback Wilton Speight. He started the game, which was surprising considering he was hurt against Iowa and missed the game against Indiana. He came out hot, completing seven of his first nine passes, hitting short passes into small windows.

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Then, he made mistake after mistake after mistake.

Turnover. Turnover. Turnover.

Speight had three turnovers that absolutely killed the Wolverines.

He threw a pick-six.

He fumbled a snap at the goal line.

And he threw a horrible pass over the middle, which was intercepted and set up a touchdown.

Still, Speight stayed in there, even though he was not 100 percent healthy, and he threw a beautiful touchdown pass in the first overtime, keeping this game alive.

Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers (5) and Taco Charlton pursue Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016 at Ohio Stadium.

Despite all of those turnovers, Michigan still had a chance to win this game.

And the credit goes to its defense. The Wolverines were making plays all over the field. Michigan’s defensive line was daunting, getting pressure on Barrett, collapsing around him, and jumping up and knocking down passes. The Wolverines finished with eight sacks.

“Our guys did everything they possibly could,” Harbaugh said, which was actually his most subtle jab at the officiating.

In the third quarter, Harbaugh was so mad that he chucked his play card and slammed his headset onto the ground. Michigan had a 17-7 lead, but everything was spinning out of control for the Wolverines. A face-mask penalty. A Speight interception, his second of the game. And a defensive offsides penalty.

The Wolverines had lost their momentum, and Harbaugh lost his cool. The official threw the flag, an unsportsmanlike penalty on Harbaugh. Two plays later, Ohio State running back Mike Weber scored on a 1-yard run for the Buckeyes, cutting Michigan’s lead to 17-14 late in the third quarter.

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Harbaugh was miffed at the call.

“That’s a penalty?” Harbaugh said. “I asked him that and he said, it is in basketball. I said, this isn’t basketball. He told me that he officiates basketball. I don’t know the relevance. He told me it would have been a technical in basketball.

“I’m bitter.”

But he should be just as mad about the turnovers, the interceptions, and the fumble.

Those were just as important as the blown calls.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

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