Via Lost Lettermen:
Outback Bowl referee Jeff Maconaghy’s blown first-down call from Tuesday was bad enough for anybody and everybody to see.
After Michigan elected to go for it on fourth-and-4 in their own territory while leading 22–21 in the fourth quarter, the chains were brought out to measure the close play. The ball was clearly short of the first-down marker, but Maconaghy inexplicably signaled a first down.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and some Gamecocks player implored Maconaghy to take a closer look, which he did. Yet even after that, the referee did not change his mind.
As it turns out, even a 3-year-old girl who was placed in front of the TV could see it was a bad call.
“The referee said it’s touching that pole,” the girl tells the camera, referring to the ball’s proximity to the first down marker. “But it’s really not.”
For just 3 years old, the girl displays a preternatural ability to motion toward a screen and break down a football game without falling back on esoteric jargon. No wonder the top comment on the video is from a CNN assignment editor hoping to get the young girl on TV.
Original Story:
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January 02, 2013
