Official's poor judgement leaves Huskies heartbroken

ELLIOTT SMITH | For The Olympian • Published September 06, 2008

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Is anything ever going to be easy for Tyrone Willingham and the Washington football team?

With a potential program-altering loss staring them in the face, the Huskies put together a stirring march that encapsulated the raw potential of this young football team, placing them on the 3-yard line with 8 seconds left in a 28-21 game.

The architect of the drive, and the leader of the team, Jake Locker, takes the snap, scrambles away from several defenders and hurls himself into the end zone. It is truly a remarkable moment, and Locker throws the ball in the air in celebration as his teammates surround him.

BYU 28, Washington 27. Hope, and overtime, springs eternal for the Huskies. But this is where the philosophical part of the column comes into play.

The referees wear black and white, but football, like life, is about shades of gray. Sure, an official probably could throw his flag on every play, but there are judgment calls to be made.

Does an official follow the letter of the law, or does he take into context the game situation? Is the rulebook the final word, or should it be used as a guideline?

It's heady stuff for the final seconds of a nail-biter, huh?

The Huskies have just fought back to potentially tie the score against the No. 15 team in the land with 2 seconds left on the clock. Locker's heave has no malice, no antagonism — it is about the joy of sport.

"I didn't realize I had done it," a chastened Locker said after the game. "I scored the touchdown and jumped up and the ball just flew in the air. Honestly, it was just a reaction."

Watching Locker and a host of Huskies celebrate, line judge Steven Kovac had a reaction as well. He took his flag out and, like Locker, flipped it in the air.

"After scoring the touchdown, the player threw the ball in the air and we are required, by rule, to assess a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty," referee Larry Farina told a pool reporter on behalf of the officials. "It is a celebration rule that we are required to call. It was not a judgment call."