EBLING: All Even

Didn't get a chance to watch the second half due to a wedding, but, that PI call is ridiculous and the fact that these refs have not been disciplined for their atrocious game calling is ubsurd. I realize we had a million chances to put this thing away, but it does not make that call any less frustrating.

Nice article Jack.

Well written Jack. I like the philosophy your dad taught you about not letting a ref's call determine a game by not making it so close at the end that it comes into play. My dad always preached to me...we don't want excuses...we want results. Winning teams always seem to find ways to overcome adversity and still find a way to win. Losing teams make endless excuses as to why they didn't win. It's bad enough when the players fall back on excuse making...but even worse when their coaching staff does it as well.

George Perles always used to say...work hard, keep your mouth shut, and good things will happen. Still sounds like good advice to me...for any Spartan team to follow.

The refs f'ed them in the Wisky game last year, the Ohio State game this year and this fiasco last saturday. Outright f'ed. Blah blah blah. If the intercept TD stand the score is 31-14. No way Nebraska comes back from that. Give me a flickin' break

I can't give you a break because we're 2nd to last in the B1G in an absolutely terrible league. I don't care if we lost by 4 pts or by 40- they all count as one.

This is an undiscipplined team that simply finds a way to lose week after week to. Please enlighten me on were I am off in my initial critique.

Well look where George Perles ended up - a fucking pariah at MSU.

Worst call ever.

It happens on nearly every punt return.

Just wait the B10 will release a statement that this play has been a "point of emphasis" this year.

It's bullshit and there is no justification for it.

Not defending him Truth...just saying that he was right about that statement. GP DID build the program back from the depths of the Muddy years. He did it in 5 years...as he said he would...and he took MSU to the last Rose Bowl it has been in...AND...WON IT!

The past, however, is prologue.

No doubt the Spartans have made a ton of mistakes. Both players and coaches. The bottom line is that if the game is officiated according to the rules, Spartans win. You could say "MSU should score every offensive possession and we would'nt have to worry about officials". That would be true, but wouldn't make what the officials did correct.

The problem with his dad's theory is thst it isn't a universal truth. Sure thst may apply if you are playing an inferior opponent. But sometimes, whether you l like it or not, you will end up in a close game simply because the two teams are so evenly matched. That happened several times this year and in two of those situations, where every play is big and big plays are huge, the refs have inexplicably took points off the board for MSU that ended up being the difference in the game.

Sometimes close games are unavoidable and it is a travesty that MSU has been unjustly punished when found in those situations.

Mixed feelings. I agree with this, although ultimately I refuse to blame the refs for any result.

As a coach, I always place an emphasis on not letting the refs dictate the outcome of the game. But player mistakes are going to happen and very rarely do teams play perfect games. That doesn't mean that 1 teams doesn't deserve to win due to a ref making a bad call. And I know refs make mistakes, but whenever you inject yourself in to the game as a ref, that is intentional and unforgivable. There is no excuse for the refs to make either of the 2 subjective call on the block or PI other than a ref saying, "I am going to inject myself into this game". That is unacceptable. Bad calls by refs is not luck.

I disagree with Jack that all the "luck" has balanced out to justify bad calls going against MSU. I would like to know Jack's definition of the "luck" that has balanced out...1 hail mary at the end of the UW game that was going to OT anyway? I think that is a lazy generalization. Fake FG's are not luck. Fake punts are not luck. Not getting stops on D is not luck. Missed FGs are not luck.