In case you haven’t heard, ESPN will be replaying the 2003 BCS national championship Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Miami tonight at 8PM Eastern. It has set off some memorable reflections and debate across media circles, and even we have taken the bait.
You can read five memories of that game we reminisced about, or you can either agree or disagree with three of our writers ranking running back Maurice Clarett as the best Ohio State football player to ever wear jersey No. 13.
But first things first, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Bill Connelly got into a debate about the penalty that was called on Miami’s Glenn Sharpe at the end of the first overtime in that game. One that kept the game alive and set the stage for Ohio State to spring the upset. Depending on what team your allegiances lie with, you probably view it as a great call, or one that triggers you even to this day. It’s one of the most polarizing calls in college football history, and it has sparked a lot of attention over the last 17 years.
So it was with Schlabach. When asked about where that penalty ranked in the history of college football calls, he said it could be the worst penalty flags thrown ever, and that you could even make a case for it being the worst ever.
Next … Schlabach’s response
Schlabach on the PI penalty against Miami
“I think you might argue that it was the worst call of all time because of what was at stake. It cost Miami a second consecutive national title and ended its 34-game winning streak. It was a call made on the last play of the sport’s most important game. It doesn’t get any bigger than that. But it was also a judgment call and not a miscarriage of the rulebook.”
Schlabach goes on to say that other calls in history have been more egregious because they were wrong interpretations of the rule book, but it still ranks up there. To each his own I guess, but I think Ohio State fans would argue about a different call that happened just this past January as a worse “judgment” call because it was reviewed and still interpreted incorrectly.
Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.
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