So says Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News:
Technology turned out to be Alabama’s 12th man.
A review of what looked like an unbelievable 41-yard completion on a fourth-and-22 revealed that it really was too good to be true for Ole Miss, and that Hodges had rendered himself ineligible by stepping over the sideline.
Would the officials have noticed without Saban’s gentle prompting?
“They told me they were going to review it,” Saban said. “I told them to give me a time out anyway so they could review it better.”
The camera doesn’t lie. Just don’t try to convince the Ole Miss fans that it didn’t fib a little. Those fans expressed their disdain with 21st-century officiating in a decidedly prehistoric way. Bottles flew (no more excusable in Oxford than it was in Tuscaloosa a few weeks ago.) One Alabama assistant coach was accosted (some witnesses said punched) by an Ole Miss fan as he tried to make his way from the press box to the locker room. The behavior isn’t excusable, although the consternation of Rebel fans is understandable.
Stay tuned for more to see if this is true or not. I trust Cecil Hurt, but I’d still like to see more before truly believing that a fan actually punched one of our assistant coaches.
Oh, and Neal McCready is gunning for some attention with idiotic statements:
Ole Miss supporters will argue that the same reversal wouldn’t have been called if the teams’ roles had been switched and the game had been played in Tuscaloosa. In fairness, they’re probably right.
The Tide Druid 
October 14, 2007 at 9:49 am
Good win for Bama. I have to say that the last call could have gone either way on the field, but whatever was called there should have stuck. To me, there was no indisputable evidence that the receiver was/wasn’t forced out of bounds, or that he was/wasn’t the first player to touch the ball. The camera doesn’t lie, but it doesn’t tell the truth sometimes either. There have been quite a few calls overturned this year where the evidence was not indisputable. I actually like that coaches and officials can have plays reviewed. However, their judgment needs to be reviewed this year.
This is in no way a slap at Alabama. It’s just something I’ve observed across the board this year. Like I said, good win for Bama…hope they lose next week. I have an unspoken pact with one of my best friends and his family (huge UT fans), so you’ll have to excuse me for wearing two shades of orange this week. 🙂
By the way…did you put on your tap shoes and break out into unrehearsed song after the win?
October 14, 2007 at 12:40 pm
I would’ve, but I got so wrapped up in the game towards the end I forgot to eat lunch, so I just kinda exhaled and didn’t move from the couch for a few minutes.
October 15, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I heard McCready’s assertation made by an Ole Miss fan in Oxford Saturday afternoon. They truely believe that Alabama always gets all the calls, every time.
I told him, he must not have been watching my Bama games in the past few years, because we usually get hosed, but whatever. That is what they believe.
As far as would that call have been made in Tuscaloosa? I can’t say, with that same awful officiating crew, probably not.
October 18, 2007 at 1:43 am
[…] the game, Rebel fans were livid, showering the field in trash (including f-me pumps) and accosting Alabama coaches. But now that the dust has settled, what’s the […]