Terrible Calls That Benefitted Your Team

[Kris60]

I think several years ago I started this exact thread but it was quite a while ago and it’s an interesting topic to me.  Fans can typically rattle off a laundry list of botched calls that hurt their team but the list gets much shorter if you ask them to list bad ones that were beneficial.  Here are three (two football, one basketball) that come to mind for me.

1. 2005 vs. Louisville- This has become a fairly iconic game in WVU history.  The Mountaineers erased a 24-7 4th quarter deficit  and went on to win 46-44 in triple OT.  It was also sort of the unofficial coming out party for the White/Slaton duo for WVU.  But the win may not have happened without a botched call on an onside kick in the 4th.  The kick was popped in the air and never touched the ground and the UL kid who tried to field it was hammered by WVU players and the Mountaineers recovered. By rule any kick that doesn’t touch the ground the receiving team has to have an opportunity to field it.  A flag was initially thrown but then picked up.

2.  2006 vs. Rutgers.- Another pretty significant win in the Rich Rod era was another triple OT classic against one of the best teams in RU history.  But in the 2nd quarter deep in RU territory Steve Slaton appeared to fumble and a RU defender scooped it up and was running by himself to the end zone when whistles blew the play dead.  For whatever reason, the play wasn’t reviewed and WVU ran another play.  Afterwards, ESPN showed the play again and it was clearly a fumble that should have resulted in a Rutgers TD.

3. 2015 vs.Kansas- Down 61-60 to KU in the final seconds WVU Point Guard Juwan Staten executed a beautiful spin move on a drive to the basket and finished with a layup that proved to be the game winner for the Mountaineers.  But one of the reasons it was so pretty was that Staten clearly took 3 steps after picking up his dribble.  It should have been a walk and KU ball.

Anyone got any for their teams?

[Brutus Buckeye]

I'll defer to mcterps

[ELA]

• Not a singular call, but a series of non-calls in a game that meant little to MSU but everything to Iowa, a BTT Quarterfinal back in maybe like 2014?  MSU was the #1 seed and Iowa was the #8 and needed a win to get into the tourney, and they simply didn't call like 4 MSU fouls in the final couple of minutes.
• Another basketball one, MSU-Illinois, the officials went to the monitor and called a common foul on Illinois.  It was a foul, but you can't go back and review for a common foul.  I think the resulting free throws allowed MSU to cut the deficit from 3 to 1 in the final minute.
• MSU trip of Desmond Howard on a 2 point conversion in 1990 that allowed MSU to upset #1 UM
• Pitt got called for a phantom hold in 2007 that negated a late go ahead TD, that allowed MSU to hold on and win

[SFBadger96]

I like this topic, but I can't think of examples. Getting away with one doesn't sear itself in the memory the same way getting hosed does.

[Entropy]

vs MSU... WR ran out of bounds and came back for a big play on the drive that ended up winning the game.   But I'd never publicly admit it.

[MarqHusker]

I'll select a different MSU game, 2012. At East Lansing,  In a game with a lot of PI calls on both sides.   Darqueze Dennard got flagged for it in the final 20 seconds covering Kenny Bell. I had a great vantage standing very low in the sideline section near the 10 yard line.  It kept drive alive and Nebraska scores a TD w 6 seconds left to win by 4.  T Mart ran wild and threw like shit that day.  A normal game I guess.  Maxwell was pretty awful too. I think Bell had at least 35 carries.

[NickSmith4Three]

Daniel Dufrene definitely fumbled on his long run against OSU in '07.

[847badgerfan]

I like this topic, but I can't think of examples. Getting away with one doesn't sear itself in the memory the same way getting hosed does.

Roughing the punter doesn't ring a bell?

[SFBadger96]

Running into the punter does, but that was a good call. A tough one for MSU, but the right one.

Similarly, the Kyle Orton fumble that Scott Starks returned was a touch call for Purdue, but the right one.

I did see some Miami fans thought the Badgers got away with a lot of holding in the 2018 Orange Bowl, but that's not really what this post is about (I don't think).

Hmm, a little googling shows a lot of remarks about Davidson taking/embellishing "charges" in basketball.

[847badgerfan]

Running into the punter does, but that was a good call. A tough one for MSU, but the right one.

Similarly, the Kyle Orton fumble that Scott Starks returned was a touch call for Purdue, but the right one.

I did see some Miami fans thought the Badgers got away with a lot of holding in the 2018 Orange Bowl, but that's not really what this post is about (I don't think).

Running, yes. I still feel dirty about that one. As for Orton.. Starks had a lot of face mask on that play. Big break there. Screw Miami.

[grillrat]

Similarly, the Kyle Orton fumble that Scott Starks returned was a touch call for Purdue, but the right one.

Cough Cough FACEMASK Cough

For basketball, I can freely admit there have been a few times that Purdue has benefitted from a call.  The game @ Michigan last year was a big one (Haas and the Michigan defender were tangled up and the call went against Michigan, could have gone either way).  There was also that game in Madison in Robbie Hummel's first or second year where Badger fans swear that Hummel fouled the player going to the basket in the final seconds of the game, but it was a no-call.  That was back in that time period where the Badgers NEVER lost in the Kohl Center (though since there was never a call on Krabby's concussion-inducing-elbow-to-the-face of Lewis Jackson, I'll call those two a wash).
In football.....Ummmmmm…..
...Hmmmmmm…..
Has Purdue football ever benefitted from a call that I thought was "getting away with one"?
I don't think that's allowed. 

[mcwterps1]

I'll defer to mcterps

Oh, we have a few.  Made me chuckle.
I don't always call out every play, and I know I'm hard on certain calls to the point of rage, but I'm very objective when it comes to officiating believe it or not.
I'll yell, "come on!" at times, only to see a replay and say, "yeah, good call". 
You guys just never see that, and I only really remember the bad calls that go against us, but I've seen them. 
I've seen more no calls though TBH. 
Michigan State the other night....Bruno used his elbow to get around the defender under the rim. 
Not sure which football game, but we accidently ran a reverse, and I swear there was a block in the back not called that should have been, and Terps at the game said there were 2 on that play. 

[FearlessF]

vs MSU... WR ran out of bounds and came back for a big play on the drive that ended up winning the game.   But I'd never publicly admit it.

there was visible contact

[847badgerfan]

UNL NEVER got a good call. MNC's and all. NEVER.