“mythical Fozzy creature” come from? It’s kind of funny but I like it. Luckily our schedule lightens up from here on out giving our injured players some time to rest.

You say that we should tell our o-line to hold, yet we were flagged for both holding and hands to the face. Where the previously most penalized team in the big 12 was not flagged for either, and as illustrated by the multiple photos, it was done blatantly on almost every play by tech. This is far from the reason we lost the game, it just didn’t help.

nay, encourages it, could this contribute to OU’s problems in BCS games? While I love the picture of Stoops laying eggs, the real problem with OU may be that their offensive linemen cannot adjust to real football after a season of WWF style wrestling.
If Texas encourages its offensive line to do likewise, could we change for the bowl game any better than OU does?

Mack Brown and his coaching staff do need to bring this up and make it an issue for Tech during the season. Its not the reason that we lost, but the holding is certainly providing Tech with an advantage (they went into the Texas game allowing only 3 sacks on Harrell). They have three conference games left (potentially four if they go to the conference championship), and I’d love to see Harrell’s protection once the officials make the holding calls.

I think someone needs to create a video of this holding, Big 12 wide, certainly for the key teams involved in the conference race. This could be a group project just as easily.

Is there a person out there who is a (former) line coach or referee, who has experience and knowledge of both the rule book and current judgments on holding?

Go through some of these games, define holding that is normally penalized and do a youtube of the collected transgressions. Bitching and moaning, even head coaches submitting videos, don’t get the popular attention near as much as would seeing it in explicated in a profession and at-distance manner.

Seeing is believing. The technology today has the capability of reproducing everything, excerpting and collecting, and producing scrutiny heretofore not experienced.

Personally, after a decade as a professional witness to many sports, while I may trust the general integrity of referees, as a whole I wouldn’t trust any one of them on a given call. Human mistakes I understand but there are too many times I’ve seen the inexplicable at precisely the wrong moment. At all levels.

Post-game scrutiny and judgment – now done only by the leagues – can become public. You could complain this takes some of the human element out of the game – and you’d be correct. But replay cameras have already done that to a great degree.

We’re not talking about calls on the field, though; we’re talking about non-calls which directly affect the action. Let them play is the mantra of many, but that also opens the door to some unsavory plays as well, whatever the sport. Brute force always tries to dominate and that included abusing the rules. However, without rules, sports would be just past times because they violate the basic ethic of what makes sports equitable.

Teams may be uneven in composition but must be treated equally by the rules – and the referees. Sports are the bastion of “fair play” in a world that seldom encourages real fair play and is predominantly predatory. It is one of the few real live experiences where the outcome is generally unknown and most anything can happen. They are spontaneous, just as life is, and totally involving for the fans.

So, for us here, the fans, such a video could either slay the mythical holding calls or pinpoint exactly how much the non-call has become a critical element of the games this season. And a key element in the outcomes, the final score.

Yeah, I went meta, but this particular argument could go on for years, and there is an apparent way to gather evidence and come to some reasonable and rational conclusions. At least this would channel the arguments around evidence and not certain exceptional plays that could be taken out of context.

These edited works themselves sould be open to judgment. These issues should have no secrecy. They are serious business and need serous answers. This is an integrity issue at heart and should be addressed as such.

in the Big 12. S’pose there’s any correlation to Big 12 officials not calling holding and the rampant high-scoring games? We’re quick to put down the SEC for weak offenses and so-so QBs, and that well may be the case. But perhaps the Big 12 “puffs up” its yardage and TD figures by letting ’em play.

If this is the case, it goes back to the coaches. Mack can complain, with a lot of validity, but I suspect at some point in offseason game officials’ meetings that the definition of holding has been softened or refined so that offenses benefit.

I have to give a lot of credit to Mike Leach. While I personally think the horns players and coaches had their worst game of the year, it is amazing that Leach can even compete with UT. UT is the school with the reputation, the great facilities, is in the wonderful town of Austin, in beautiful central Texas. Tech really can’t compare with UT in any of the afore mentioned areas but, somehow, Leach is able to compete vigorously with UT every year (though he seldom actually wins). The guy is one heck of a head coach.

He is also a tremendous offensive coordinator. I am always envious of the fantastic job he does with screens and wonder why UT does not simply study the Tech screen plays to understand how to run this important play set of plays properly.

Tech also does a great job with their run game. They don’t run much but they run efficiently. Tech does a great job of involving their wide receivers in the run game and getting misdirection even though they typically operate with only one running back.

Might be a good idea if Mack/Greg just copy the Tech offense.

Props to the great Malcolm Williams. With Quan’s injury, Mack/Greg/Colt were forced to throw to Malcolm. Malcolm rose to the occasion like the thoroughbred that he is.

Hope fozzy plays more this week but I realize the pass blocking problem is a serious issue. You can’t really ask fozzy to block a defensive end. Might be better for fozzy to operate out of the slot (where the blocking is not so strenuous). The guy has to be on the field somewhere, he is the best runner the horns have.

You sound like Leach after the Texas game in Austin last year, get ready for Baylor. If I recall, all the UT fans called Tech a bunch of cry babies.

Sound like Leach after the UT vs Tech game last year. Tech fans were called cry babies after that now yall are doing the same thing. Get ready for a better Baylor team.

The referee is the only one watching what goes on in the backfield. He is responsible for a boat load of fouls. Number of men on offense.
Illegal pass.
Movement in backfield.
Illegal use of hands – offense and defense.
Delay of game.
…and, one of the most important today, protecting the QB.

Why don’t they have one more official watching nothing but holding? Will it slow down the game? Make it less appealing due to drive stopping calls?

Why don’t they have a separate foul for tackling? I think you could have a 5 yard holding foul but a 15 yard tackling foul.

Is the game to fast now? Are the schemes too complex?

Agreed, that something should be done.