Here’s multiple images from the ESPN telecast of the last play of the Wisconsin-Michigan State game on Saturday night:

(Camera Behind Goal Line)

The images are varying examples of two separate goal line camera shots shown on the ESPN telecast as Big Ten officials mulled whether MSU receiver Keith Nichol entered the end zone on the final play of regulation to give the Spartans a 37-31 victory - or not.

(Camera Behind Goal Line)

The question, obviously, isn’t whether Nichol appeared to have crossed the plane of the end zone in the goal line shots. Clearly it looks like he did in all of the images from both camera angles.

(Camera In Front Of Goal Line)

What matters is if the ESPN camera angles were linear enough to the goal line for a Big Ten replay official to cite conclusive proof in overturning the original call on the field. A call that had previously downed the ball inside the Wisconsin one-yard line and - had it stood - would’ve sent the game to overtime.

(Camera In Front Of Goal Line)

Though from these images, which include a superimposed goal line over the players involved, it’s hard to argue with the ultimate call made by Big Ten officials to overturn the ruling on the field.

(Camera In Front Of Goal Line)

But with neither camera square to the goal line, it isn’t unreasonable to think that perhaps Big Ten officials wouldn’t have had the stomach to overturn the original call on the field had the game been in Madison instead of East Lansing.

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This week WFTV-TV in Orlando reported details of Alabama’s upcoming Capital One bowl preparation plans.

Despite what are apparently sub-standard facilities, the Crimson Tide will hold practice at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips High School to get ready for Michigan State at the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s day.

WFTV reported that Alabama, in addition to renting the high school’s practice fields for a nominal fee, will “pay thousands of dollars to upgrade the facilities at Dr. Phillips.” Alabama will reportedly have a new playing surface installed and is in the process of renovating the locker rooms, which will include a new paint job.

The locker room remodeling and field upgrades will all be done at no cost to Dr. Phillips.

Chase Goodbread of the TUSCALOOSA NEWS reported Monday that Alabama coach Nick Saban said the upgrades were “common” and being done in the interest of “player safety.”

But if that’s the case why didn’t LSU make similar, significant upgrades when it practiced at Dr. Phillips last year before the same bowl game?

Or could Saban be holding out on us, playing Saint Nick in extending some completely innocent, holiday generosity to Dr. Phillips?

Today Andrew Bone of the TUSCALOOSA NEWS may have provided us the answer to those questions. Read more…

Fresh off a 31-6 loss to Alabama last week, Florida Gator lineman Carl Johnson’s ‘these Crimson Tides are not gods‘ comment may have come off as comical.

(Fifth of Jack dumped in Bojangle’s gallon jug will do that)

But Johnson wasn’t proved wrong Saturday in Columbia.

My first job after graduating from the Univ. of Georgia was covering South Carolina football and basketball for WVOC-AM in Columbia, South Carolina. Read more…

After screenshots of the Spartan Stadium play clock registering :00 before Michigan State scored on its game-winning play against Notre Dame began circulating on the web postgame, the Big East released a statement on behalf of its conference officials who worked the game.

(Both the call and the officiating methodology is wrong on the play)

Statement:

After review, the conference believes that the game officials correctly applied the proper mechanics and guidelines that are in place to determine, in a consistent manner, when a flag should be thrown for delay of game.

The responsibility is assigned to the back judge, who in this situation was standing beneath the upright. Proper mechanics dictate that his focus be directed to the play clock as it approaches zero. When the play clock display reads zero, he must re-direct his attention to the ball. At that time, if the snap has not started, a flag will be thrown for delay of game. If the snap has begun, no flag will be thrown.

Under these procedures, there will always be a small amount of lag time between the time the clock reads zero and the time the back judge is able to see the football. On the play in question, this lag time created the situation where it appears the play clock expired just before the snap. We believe the snap occurred well within the normal lag time for the back judge to make this determination. This play is not reviewable under current NCAA rules.”

“It appears the play clock expired just before the snap”?

It “appeared” the play clock expired before the snap because it did. The long snapper had not moved the football when the Spartan Stadium play clock reached :00. Watch for yourself: Read more…

The television ratings for ESPN’s Alamo Bowl broadcast between Texas Tech and Michigan State last Saturday are out, and the numbers are stunning.

(Fans certainly had huge audience for their pro-Leach signs and sentiment)

The game drew a 5.2 overnight rating, reaching over 5.5 million households during the broadcast. That’s the largest audience for an ESPN bowl game telecast in the network’s history. Funny thing though, ESPN hasn’t been falling over itself promoting that fact - for obvious reasons.

Also, I’ve heard from a source at NBC here in Los Angeles today that the Jay Leno Show is attempting to book Mike Leach for the program this week. Another source told me last night that Leach is currently vacationing in Las Vegas.

Read more…

The Michigan State student newspaper STATE NEWS reports this afternoon that Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio suspended eight Spartan players indefinitely today as campus police continue an investigation into a dorm attack November 22.

Police have identified 10 suspects from the incident and are looking into leads relating to five additional people, a release from the university stated. Police identified the suspects by talking with witnesses and reviewing video tape from Rather Hall. The State News filed a Freedom of Information Request on Monday seeking the video footage.

Players B.J. Cunningham, Mark Dell, Ashton Leggett, Chris L. Rucker, Fred Smith, Brynden Trawick, Ishmyl Johnson and Jamiihr Williams were all cited in a school press release today as being identified at the site of the attack at Rather Hall.

Cunningham, Dell and Rucker are starters.

Read more…

Earlier today, I reported the Michigan State student paper reporting an attack on a Michigan State dorm that left seven people injured, including women. Some of the attackers were alleged to be Michigan State football players.

(No, Sparty, No!)

This afternoon, Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio kicked players Glenn Winston and Roderick Jenrette off the team “for violation of team rules.”

It isn’t yet known if Winston and/or Jenrette were involved in the attack, but if they weren’t that’s a pretty amazing coincidence.

UPDATE: THE STATE NEWS has background on Winston and Jenrette and you’ll be shocked to find out that Winston recently served four month in jail for assault after an “altercation” with the MSU hockey team. Read more…

UPDATE: Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio this afternoon kicked two Spartan players off the team for “violation of team rules.”

It is not yet know if the players were involved in the dorm attacks, but if they aren’t, that’s a pretty stunning coincidence.

Brittany Shammas of the Michigan State University daily THE STATE NEWS has an alarming report on an altercation at a Michigan State dorm on Sunday night.

Witnesses and students involved in the incident said a group of 15 to 20 men, who some described as MSU football players, stormed into the dormitory and hit and injured about seven students, some of them women.

(Alleged attackers wore ski masks)

Police and university officials were tight-lipped Monday about what witnesses have described as a multiple-person assault that happened at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday in the Rather Hall lounge.

The student daily did locate witnesses who went on the record about the incident. Read more…

A big hit that didn’t get adequate airtime yesterday was Michigan State’s Jeremy Ware’s fourth quarter lick on Iowa’s Colin Sandeman:

(Ware flagged for personal foul, Sandeman walked off under own power)

Video of the hit after the jump, along with the game’s final play - which gave Iowa the win and a perfect 8-0 record. Read more…

If you’re an athlete, going on Twitter & posting anything more controversial than where you went to dinner last night is akin to handing Lenny Dykstra your investment portfolio and telling him to “figure something out”: it’s pretty much a recipe for disaster. Not only are you running the risk of some pesky blog picking up a juicy post or picture of you with a big bag of weed in the background, but apparently now you might be giving information to your next opponent.

Ahead of his team’s game against Michigan State, Wisconsin head football coach Bret Bielema said that he uses Twitter to find out what opposing players are up to before the game. Which seems kind of pointless, unless a cornerback posts that he’s “OMG so hungover LOL” the morning before the game.

Read more…