Being at the game and hearing the reactions firsthand was something else. Most fans around me were shouting the chant, but a few (very few) disagreed with it. And that’s fine, everyone’s entitled to their opinion.
However, I want to make a few points clear about what happened and why that chant broke out the way it did. I understand that officials don’t decide the final outcome of a game. I’ve heard every variation of “don’t blame the refs” from people in that camp, but here’s what those folks always overlook:
1. Not every bad call is equal.
2. Getting a call wrong after review is absolutely unacceptable.
3. When one team repeatedly gets the short end of the whistle, the conference should address it.
I prayed we’d win that game because that officiating crew flat-out got too many things wrong. And yes... I chanted “Refs, you suck” because at that point, they truly did.
When I say “not every bad call is equal,” I mean timing matters. I saw that catch replayed on the Memorial Stadium jumbotron at least seven times, and everyone in that building saw the same thing, the receiver didn’t have possession until he was a half-yard short of the line to gain. When the refs said the first down stood, they didn’t just blow the call... they completely flipped the momentum.
That decision changed the entire sequence of the game. Instead of Nebraska having the ball up 21–6 with about 3:15 left in the third, it became Northwestern’s ball in field-goal range. The chant didn’t start until after they scored, because everyone in that stadium knew that drive never happens if the officials made the correct call.
And that wasn’t the only blown call:
- The abrupt movement flag was terrible.
- The declined offsides explanation took the ref three tries to get right.
- The offsetting penalties on the late hit out of bounds were just plain wrong.
I don’t need to list more, fans saw it all. But if refs don’t want to be called out, they can’t make this many bad decisions in front of the most knowledgeable fan base in college football.
So yes, we won. But that crew? They need to be held accountable. A suspension wouldn’t be unreasonable after a performance like that!
However, I want to make a few points clear about what happened and why that chant broke out the way it did. I understand that officials don’t decide the final outcome of a game. I’ve heard every variation of “don’t blame the refs” from people in that camp, but here’s what those folks always overlook:
1. Not every bad call is equal.
2. Getting a call wrong after review is absolutely unacceptable.
3. When one team repeatedly gets the short end of the whistle, the conference should address it.
I prayed we’d win that game because that officiating crew flat-out got too many things wrong. And yes... I chanted “Refs, you suck” because at that point, they truly did.
When I say “not every bad call is equal,” I mean timing matters. I saw that catch replayed on the Memorial Stadium jumbotron at least seven times, and everyone in that building saw the same thing, the receiver didn’t have possession until he was a half-yard short of the line to gain. When the refs said the first down stood, they didn’t just blow the call... they completely flipped the momentum.
That decision changed the entire sequence of the game. Instead of Nebraska having the ball up 21–6 with about 3:15 left in the third, it became Northwestern’s ball in field-goal range. The chant didn’t start until after they scored, because everyone in that stadium knew that drive never happens if the officials made the correct call.
And that wasn’t the only blown call:
- The abrupt movement flag was terrible.
- The declined offsides explanation took the ref three tries to get right.
- The offsetting penalties on the late hit out of bounds were just plain wrong.
I don’t need to list more, fans saw it all. But if refs don’t want to be called out, they can’t make this many bad decisions in front of the most knowledgeable fan base in college football.
So yes, we won. But that crew? They need to be held accountable. A suspension wouldn’t be unreasonable after a performance like that!