Hit on Locker ruled “inadvertent”
After reviewing the chaotic events of Saturday’s Washington-Oregon State game, Pac-10 Conference officials announced Monday that the helmet-to-helmet hit on Huskies quarterback Jake Locker was “inadvertent” and that no penalties will be meted out as a result of that play.
They also announced that the instant-replay crew will be reprimanded for not stopping the game to review a fumble by Oregon State’s Yvenson Bernard in the fourth quarter.
Four players who were ejected from the game are required by NCAA rules to sit out the first half of games this weekend. That means guard Ryan Tolar, the only Husky ejected, will miss the first half of Saturday’s game against California, likely to be replaced by Jordan White-Frisbee.
The three Beavers who were ejected were cornerbacks Brandon Hughes and Bryan Payton and safety James Dockery. Each was ejected for getting into altercations with UW players (Hughes and Payton on the same play that Tolar was ejected) following Locker’s injury.
The three Beavers will sit out the first half Saturday at Washington State.
Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen said in a statement that “we believe the helmet-to-helmet contact on the hit on Locker was inadvertent. College football is played at a very high speed, and hard collisions such as this one result. Thankfully, Locker apparently did not suffer a serious injury. The sight of him walking back into Reser Stadium during the fourth quarter was most welcome. Helmet-to-helmet contact is a national point of emphasis, and we will continue to officiate accordingly.”
Locker was injured on a hard hit by Oregon State safety Al Afalava with 6:18 to play in the second quarter. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, but returned in the fourth quarter with his neck in a brace. He has been diagnosed with a stinger and a strain of the trapezius muscle. It is uncertain if he will play against Cal; he was listed as a co-starter with Carl Bonnell on the depth chart released Monday.
Pac-10 assistant commissioner Jim Muldoon said the conference rule reads that officials have to decide there was an intent to punish to throw a flag on such a play.
“If you really look at it, Locker kind of drops his head, so we just couldn’t read intent or punishment into it,” Muldoon said. “It just looked like a hard hit. The angle that they were both moving at, it was just a bang-bang play, I think.”
Muldoon said if officials had thrown a flag, “we probably would have supported that. That’s different than saying we didn’t think they made the right call. Just that it’s a real close play. There’s a lot of close plays they could throw it or not throw it and not be way off base.”
Muldoon said the fact that Locker is a quarterback isn’t a factor.
“They do have special protections when they drop back to pass, but once they take off running, they are just another player trying to advance the ball,” he said.
Hansen said in the statement that the conference regretted “that the instant replay crew failed to stop the game to review the play at the goal line with just under three minutes to play.”
Bernard, an Oregon State running back, lost the ball as he stretched for the goal line after he hit the ground at the 1-yard line with 2:41 remaining and Oregon State ahead 29-23. Washington’s Roy Lewis picked up the ball and returned it to the UW 38, and the Huskies moved to the OSU 29 before the drive stalled.
“We do believe the instant replay officials did not perform properly on the Bernard fumble play,” the statement read. “There was human error in that while reviewing the available replays the crew failed to notify the game officials to stop play before the ball was snapped for the next play. It was not the fault of the equipment. The game should have been stopped and the play reviewed. The members of the IR crew have been reprimanded.”
The statement also said that the conference reviewed a second-quarter play in which Bernard lost his helmet in a scrum, apparently having it ripped off by Huskies defensive tackle Wilson Afoa.
“That occurred in a pile of players when the ball came loose and a struggle ensured for possession. It is impossible to see more than players grabbing at the ball,” Hansen said.
Washington coaches and players were not available to the media Monday.
Notes
• Kickoff for the Nov. 24 Apple Cup has been set for 4 p.m. and will be televised live on FSN. That means all 13 UW games this season will be televised live, a first in school history. The Dec. 1 game at Hawaii will start at 8:30 p.m. Seattle time and will be televised by ESPN.
• WR Anthony Russo, mentioned by Willingham as having been hurt late in the game at Oregon State, was in his usual spot as a starting receiver on the official depth chart released Monday.
Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com