OFFICIALS HAD MUCH COMPANY ON ROUGH WEEKEND

 Weekend Watch … ing the officiating turning from bad to worse: Never mind the mind-blowing reversal of the last 

play in Miami, Fla., where, in a matter of minutes, Virginia 

Tech went from upset winner 40-38 over the No. 7 

Hurricane to upset loser 38-34. Get used to it, Hokie fans. Coach BRENT PRY is 1-10 in one-score games.

……. HOW TO explain Alabama, laying waste to favored 

and defending national champion Georgia 30-7 and 

marching again shortly before halftime, not being rewarded 

with a clear and unmistakable pass interference call? The 

intended receiver for the Crimson Tide was grabbed and 

mugged well before the ball arrived … but the SEC crew 

chose to ignorea it … At least they were consistent … 

missing what everyone at home watching on ABC plus those 

among the sellout crowd that included former Bama coach 

now network talking head NICK SABAN, knew was 

interference on a long pass midway of the third quarter that 

should have been called against the Crimson Tide ... Finally, 

the home team was charged with interference, leading to a 

Georgia touchdown and two-point passing conversion that 

cut the deficit to 30-15. A field goal gave Alabama an 18-

point lead going into the final quarter.

For unexplained reasons … the Tide, which used an all-out 

rush that forced Bulldogs’ QB CARSON BECK to throw 

the ball away from the end zone and be called for intentional 

grounding … resulting in a safety and two points … stopped 

blitzing … and Beck, given time, picked the Bama 

secondary apart for a touchdown that enabled Georgia to 

close to 33-21. The Bulldogs opted for a two-point 

conversion … but Beck’s pass was deflected … During one 

second-half stretch, he completed four straight passes of 20 

or more yards. With 5:39 to go, second-ranked Georgia 

scored again, and this time kicked the extra point, cutting the 

deficit to five (33-28). “Georgia has done a good job of 

making adjustments,” explained TV analyst KIRK 

HERBSTREIT who played QB at Ohio State … so you 

would think he might be wondering why No. 4 Alabama was 

giving Beck so much time to locate his receivers … To that 

point the Tide, which accumulated 355 yards of total offense 

in the first half, had 98 in the second … With 2:42 

remaining, the Bulldogs got the ball back … and it took 

them one play to complete the comeback … when Beck and 

tight end DILLON BELL hooked up for 67 yards and a 

one-point lead. “Can you believe it?” yelled Herbstreit. 

“This crowd is stunned.”

Game over, right? Wrong … The home team regained the 

advantage in 13 seconds when QB JALEN MILROE threw 

deep for 17 year old freshman RYAN WILLIAMS who 

made the catch at the Georgia 45 ... then juked by and spun 

around two defenders for a 75-yard TD followed by a two-

point pass. Just like that the score was 41-34, Alabama … 

You want stunned? You should have seen a sideline shot of

 KALEN DeBOER, in his first season as Alabama coach, 

during Georgia’s final possession … when Beck had the 

Bulldogs on the Tide 36 with a minute to go … and a pass 

for COLBIE YOUNG at the flag was broken up by 

freshman DB ZABIEN BROWN with his back to the ball. 

Interference? Not this time … Two snaps later it was Young 

and Brown together again … this time in the end zone … 

and this time the 6-0 Brown soared to reach in front of 6-3 

Young to make the game-saving interception … “We expect 

to win games like this,” DeBoer told reporters later.

Some afterthoughts about the game of the year: Milroe 

should be frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy after 491 

yards total offense (374 passing) and four touchdowns 

against Georgia … which hadn’t allowed a TD in three 

previous games. A 6-2, 225-pound junior, he originally 

committed to Texas … then spent a year and a half backing 

up BRYCE YOUNG, first player to be chosen in the 2023 

NFL draft. Last year Milroe was benched by Saban after two 

games then regained the starting role at the outset of the 

SEC schedule. Alabama finished 12-1, losing in OT to 

eventual NCAA champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl … 

After four games this year, the native of Katy, Tex., is 

completing 72.9 per cent of his passes for 990 yards. In 85 

attempts, Milroe has been intercepted once ,,, by Georgia on 

a pass that went off the hands of the receiver … If I had a 

Heisman ballot … it would be 1 – Milroe, 2 – Oregon QB

 DILLON GABRIEL and 3 – Miami QB CAM WARD …

 with lots of time left, and many changes likely to come … 

From Hawaii, Gabriel came into his sixth and final season 

with 16,059 passing (54 games) … first for UCF (2019-

2021) then Oklahoma (2022-23). A 5-11 left-hander, he is 

paid $1.7 million (est.) annually under the NIL program … 

After four games with unbeaten Oregon, Gabriel (no relation 

to Roman G) has completed 80.2 per cent of his passes for 

1,192 yards and nine touchdowns, with one INT … in 

addition to running for two TD for a team averaging 37.5 

points … and plus 69 in scoring difference overall.

……. SAY ADIOS and good-bye to ERIK TEN HAG, the 

Manchester United manager (coach) ... In English futbol 

Sunday … ManU captain BRUNO FERNANDEZ was 

expelled late in the first half by referee KEN KAVINAUGH

 for a hard foul that was anything but … the way they were 

playing against Tottenham, good call or bad, the red card 

proved only a minor distraction as the Red Devils lost 3-0 in 

a game they 

were outshot 24-10 and put only two on goal … Once again, 

despite a lineup of overpaid players, ManU looked 

disorganized. Tottenham got its first goal in the third minute 

on a pass to a wide-open BENJAMIN JOHNSON who 

simply had to tap the ball across the line when nobody 

bothered to hustle back and challenge him … It was simply 

another typical down and disoriented performance under ten 

Hag, who has been the object of considerable scorn by the 

team’s fan base. Earlier this season, he was given a vote of 

confidence (along with a year’s extension on his contract) … 

but, with money no object, it appears he will be fired … 

perhaps as early as this week. 

……. OH, MY gosh! … JAYDEN DANIELS is human after 

all. The NFL Washington rookie quarterback actually threw 

a football that was caught by the other team Sunday ,,, on his 

86^th pass of the season … with 6:41 left in the first half. His 

fault, too … sailing a throw intended for TERRY 

McLAURIN, who could only watch Arizona’s DERRICK 

WILLIAMS soar to make the pick at the Cardinals 20 … 

“This is not incorrect,” said Fox analyst MARK 

SCHLERETH while the network spun the prerequisite 

replay. “He’s got the right guy … the right read … he just 

airmails the throw and leaves it behind the receiver a little 

bit. The good news is, he knew exactly what he was trying 

to do. He just didn’t execute the throw.” … It was 

Washington’s first turnover of the season, believe it or not. 

At halftime of the fourth game, the Commanders led 17-7 … 

and Daniels was 11 of 13 for 95 yards. He also had 21 yards 

rushing … Their top 2024 draft choice, No. 2 overall, he 

finished the 42-14 rout with 233 yards passing (26 of 30) to 

become the first NFL player EVER to have back-to-back 

games completing at least 85 percent … J. Daniels for 

Rookie of the Year? Why not? … “This guy is must-see 

TV,” said Fox studio’s ROB GRONKOWSKI at half-time. 

Joining the former Patriots’ tight end in gushing about the 

Washington QB was ex-Giants’ defensive end MICHAEL 

STRAYHAN who added, “He’s so cool.”

Until next time ...