UCLA football: Pac 10 says referees made mistake
Pacific 10 Conference officials have acknowledged that their referee crew misinterpreted a substitution rule during UCLA’s game against Stanford on Saturday.
Dave Cutaia, the conference’s coordinator of officiating, has spoken with UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel, said Dave Hirsch, the conference’s vice president of communication.
The Bruins were penalized for an illegal substitution in the first quarter with Stanford on the UCLA 10-yard line. Neuheisel argued the call and later contended that since Stanford was in a no-huddle offense, the rules require referees to stand over the ball to allow UCLA to make substitutions.
Hirsch said the conference has told Neuheisel that he was correct.
Neuheisel said Monday that he had spoken to referees prior to the game about the substitution rule.
The Bruins had to waste one timeout to get personnel onto the field during Stanford’s first scoring drive. The Illegal substitution penalty gave the Cardinal a second-down play from the five-yard line. Stanford scored three plays later to take a 7-0 lead.
The Pac 10 reprimanded its officiating crew for the USC-Virginia game for an illegal block call on a fake punt that cost Virginia a 36-yard gain.
-- Chris Foster
