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Bad behavior by fans, coach spoil the game

Nov 6, 2017, 10:38 AM

The statewide North State Journal based in Raleigh, NC posts, then deletes this article. Google cache is a helluva drug....

November 4, 2017 Shawn Krest Article, College Football, Sports

RALEIGH — On a day when the eyes of Football America were on NC State, a better case for looking elsewhere couldn’t have been made.

The national champion Clemson Tigers were in town, with the Atlantic Division and a potential College Football Playoff berth on the line for both teams. Attracted by the marquee match-up, ABC was on hand to televise the game, and ESPN brought the College Gameday radio team and the Heisman House to add to the pregame atmosphere.

Big-time college football arrived at Carter-Finley Stadium with a vengeance, and State couldn’t have possibly looked smaller potatoes.

Don’t blame the team. The players gave the champs everything they could have wanted, battling until the end. ABC/ESPN got everything they could have wanted as well, with big plays, a near upset and a game that wasn’t decided until the very last play.

The Wolfpack players showed they were more than ready for the spotlight. Unfortunately for NC State University and the city of Raleigh, they were the only ones that did their part.

On a day when a Washington State student jumped onto the field, ran into the end zone as a touchdown was being scored and dropped his pants for an on-camera moon, NC State’s fans managed to turn in the most shamefully embarrassing performance of the afternoon.

As the officiating crew left the field, State fans pelted them with debris. Online video shows at least six fans flipping birds to the referees as they leave, while garbage flies down at them. A fan in white hurls a water bottle that appears to hit a state trooper attempting to protect the officials.

That’s all on one side of the tunnel. On the other side, a fan in a grey shirt is busy spitting on the people passing beneath, at one point getting a running start to increase his range.

The video is there for all to see. Hopefully the university will try to identify any students pictured and take action against them. And maybe the state police could take a look at the film as well.

What did the referees do to earn such abusive treatment? They called an illegal blocking penalty that wiped out a seven-yard run for the game’s go-ahead touchdown.

No, never mind. That’s not right. That was the call they made against Clemson, late in the third quarter.

What the referees did was call a pass interference penalty on a third-down stop that allowed the other team to score the go-ahead touchdown two plays later.

No, wait. That’s not right either. That call went against Clemson too, right before Jaylen Samuels scored NC State’s second touchdown.

What the referees did was call an illegal shift on NC State that wiped out a long pass play on the Wolfpack’s last-minute drive.

Fans erupted with anger after the call, and social media erupted with conspiracy theories. Luckily, the alleged illegal shifter — wide receiver Jakobi Meyers — was made available to the media after the game.

Here’s his reaction to the penalty debacle: “I think it’s because I stepped off the ball and J-Sam (Samuel) stepped on, and we didn’t set for a count. I’m assuming that’s what it was.”

In other words, the call was right.

Was it a ticky-tack call? Something that could have been ignored, given the point in the game? Well, Meyers was the one that caught the ball, and he appeared to get a step on the man covering him, who was caught flat-footed. The man covering Samuels had even more of a struggle, appearing to stumble when the ball was hiked and Samuels exploded off the line.

Regardless of whether it was a legit call or a blown one, the fan reaction was unacceptable. It’s the type of thing a team’s coach should come out against, emphasizing sportsmanship and a safe positive environment for all of his fans.

Unfortunately, NC State’s coach is Dave Doeren, who prefers to take his excuses head on instead of avoiding them. In past years, his team was too young, their ACC division too tough. Now, with strong senior stars and down years for Florida State and Louisville, Doeren has to go deeper in the excuse depth chart. Next excuse up is officiating.

One week ago, thumped 35-14 by Notre Dame, he pointed to a possible offsides by the Irish that wasn’t called as “a huge momentum play for them” and also pointed out that officials may have missed ANOTHER offsides earlier in the game.

“I can’t criticize the officials unless you want to pay the fine for me. I’d love to tell you what I thought, but I’m not gonna do that.”

Just to make sure everyone understood why Notre Dame won by 21 points, Doeren brought up the offsides again at his Monday press conference.

On Saturday, with his fans acting like thugs in the stands, Doeren opened his press conference with the following, in response to a question about the penalty:

“I wish it (the officiating) was a lot better.”

Later, when asked about the penalty at the end of the game, Doeren, looking exasperated and put upon as he alone battles the demons of bad officiating, said, “Which one?”

Because there were so so many penalties to choose from, you see. NC State was flagged for six of them, for a total of 69 yards.

Wait, that can’t be right. Six doesn’t seem like that many penalties at all. In fact, looking at the cumulative numbers for the season, State has been flagged 55 times, which comes out to … six a game.

Across the entire ACC, teams have been called for 669 penalties in 121 games, which comes out to … 5.5 a game.

So, in a game where an average number of penalties were called against his team, Doeren needed help determining which of the half-dozen the questioner was referring to.

The second thing Doeren said in his post-game press conference was the following:

“And I’d like to know why there’s a laptop on Clemson’s sideline that people are looking at, too. I’d like that to be investigated. Maybe they weren’t doing anything, but I was told it’s illegal to have technology on the sideline. I’d like to know that as well.”

In a conference and state where another team’s radio crew was giving away the game plan to opponents last year, Doeren’s charges sound infantile and petty.

When informed of the charges of malfeasance, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney responded to the laughable allegations in the only appropriate manner: By laughing.

It turned out that the illicit technology was the property of a student manager in the team’s social media department, Jonathan Gantt, who apparently helped stymie the Wolfpack offense with well-timed tweets and snaps.

By the way, if Doeren still wants to conduct an investigation of the sideline laptop, a good place to start might be Gantt’s own Twitter account. Last month, he posted a photo of a student using the laptop to edit video during the game, boasting that the 85-second highlight feature was finished by the final gun.

Between the crooked refs and the illegally produced hype videos, how is Doeren supposed to compete? Clearly, he has too much on his mind to scold his fans for attacking the refs and the on-duty police trying to protect them. Although he did find time to praise them for their “passion.”

Doeren couldn’t have bungled the postgame situation worse if it was a fourth-and-short play call. But coaches, like politicians, need to know their base, and Doeren appears to be right in touch with the bottle-tossing, bird-flipping hooligans waiting to be spoon fed the next conspiracy theory. That will be the lasting image America has of big-time football’s woefully brief visit to our area.

Enjoy your time on Raycom and in a middling bowl, NC State. You have only yourselves to blame.

The sad part is that the players and the vast majority of the 56,000 fans that packed Carter-Finley deserve better. Better than what they have.

$1 to WSUX

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"On a day when a Washington State student jumped onto the field, ran into the end zone as a touchdown was being scored and dropped his pants for an on-camera moon, NC State’s fans managed to turn in the most shamefully embarrassing performance of the afternoon."

"Doeren couldn’t have bungled the postgame situation worse if it was a fourth-and-short play call. But coaches, like politicians, need to know their base, and Doeren appears to be right in touch with the bottle-tossing, bird-flipping hooligans waiting to be spoon fed the next conspiracy theory. That will be the lasting image America has of big-time football’s woefully brief visit to our area."

The article was removed so maybe there is something to Doeren's conspiracy theory...

Bad behavior by fans, coach spoil the game

The staff at WSUX appreciates your loyal patronage.***

What caller do I have to be to get a tshirt?***

good luck today!

Tight race but looking good so far***

Re: Bad behavior by fans, coach spoil the game

Have they explained why the article was removed?***

I've tried to ask via twitter @ShawnKrest. I'll post if he

Great post! +1***

thank you colbert tiger***

This is great...a few highlights:

That’s funny!***

Re: Bad behavior by fans, coach spoil the game

Here's the cached link

It was on their website. Just not for long.***

Re: Bad behavior by fans, coach spoil the game

But "a potential College Football Playoff berth on the line

Excellent recovery!***

+1 to the WSUX team***

Wow.. talk about scathing honesty! Ouch.***

Burn!***

Need some aloe :)***

Re: Bad behavior by fans, coach spoil the game

Re: Bad behavior by fans, coach spoil the game

lol***

Tldr still awarded point for effort.******

I'd like to buy Shawn Krest lunch***

Are you should!!!***

lol

Im the people's champ***

Shawn Krest graduated from UNCcheat

It’s up but looks like either it was changed

Wow, this is amazing lol

Lets post it on their message board***

Writing with that kind of freedom is what got UNC in so much trouble.

The fact that this was written by Shawn Krest, a UNC-CH alum, begs the question...

That didn't spoil it for me.***

Re: Bad behavior by fans, coach spoil the game

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