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Curt Cignetti explodes on officials following controversial call in Indiana vs. Oregon

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels2 hours agoChandlerVessels
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Indiana coach Curt Cignetti received a sideline warning after an outburst following a no-call against Oregon on Saturday. The moment occurred in the second quarter after a pass on third down fell incomplete that was intended for Elijah Sarratt.

Oregon defensive back Brandon Finney appeared to grab Sarratt on the right arm before the ball arrived, but no flag was thrown for pass intereference. That led to an irate Cignetti giving officials an earful, and you can view the outburst from the coach below.

The CBS broadcast crew got into a discussion about the call after, saying they believed the pass interference was missed. Gary Danielson did at least agree with the decision of the officials not to give Cignetti a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“Let’s say they did miss the call,” he said. “Cignetti could have got called there for a penalty. I think the referees showed good judgment keeping it available for him to go for it on fourth-and-short.”

Of course, that likely doesn’t do a lot to calm Cignetti down after his team could have had a first down with a different call. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore agreed with him that the original call was missed.

“I think you’ve got to have pass interference on the play,” he said. “The widest receiver is the receiver deep downfield. He may not be able to see because of the activity in front. But some other official needs to transition and see that when the ball is in play like that.

“I think you’ve got to appreciate coach Cignetti’s excitement and Gary’s right, he could’ve got 15 yards. I think a sideline warning is the best thing to do in this scenario. Now you’ve got to button it down and keep him off the field and close the plays if you’re reffing this one.”

Steratore also addressed whether Curt Cignetti got some leeway on his reaction to the play because officials could clearly see the missed call on the stadium jumbotron. A former official himself, he explained how he would have reacted in the same situation.

“I can tell you speaking for myself, if I would have been able to look up and see that I would have given him a little more time to try to walk him back. But yes, I would (give him a break).”

Indiana ended up punting on the drive where the penalty was missed but later kicked a field goal to go up 13-10 right before halftime. The Hoosiers will hope the calls are a little bit more friendly in the second half as they hop to hang on for the win.