End Zone: UT 09-29

9/29/2011
ZACH SILKA

It’s time to move on, Rocket Nation.

Yes, the blown call in Toledo’s 33-30 overtime loss at Syracuse last Saturday was a blunder of epic proportions. If it hasn’t been emblazoned on T-shirts yet, “Remember the Carrier Dome” will be stamped on the memories of UT fans for years to come. The pain, heartache, and anger are understandable too. After two weeks of getting kicked around by bigger programs and biased officials, the Rockets didn’t need another body blow.

Credit Tim Beckman and Mike O’Brien for standing up and saying enough is enough. Instead of sulking away, they stood up and fought for their players, school, and supporters. Their appeal of the final result to be vacated and a win be awarded to Toledo drew national attention.

The little guys in the world of college athletics rarely make much noise, but in this case, Beckman and O’Brien were right to challenge the establishment, even if they had little foundation for their appeal.

The NCAA rulebook is clear that once a game is final, the outcome cannot be reversed. For those that bring up Southern California’s win over Utah earlier this month, the outcome would have been the same regardless of the score change. To go back and change Syracuse’s extra-point attempt to a miss and then assume all other events would have remained the same is a shaky proposition at best. So, as tough as it is to swallow, the loss stands and it’s time to focus on the rest of the season.

Read the full Rocket Docket blog at http://toledoblade.typepad.com/rocketdocket/