The Sports Grouch

Let’s be honest. The SEC, the NCAA and the NFL have trouble with the integrity of their officiating.

Even Charleston Post and Courier’s sportswriter Dave Cloninger called the game officiating horrendous.

“Those no-calls gave Florida 14 points in an 11-point South Carolina loss,” he wrote. “Nobody can say if the Gators wouldn’t have scored anyway, or if USC would have done anything different if Florida hadn’t scored.

Officiating will be how this one’s remembered.”

The price of bad calls

Florida, aided by the zebras (that’s football slang for the guys in the striped shirts), stole the game despite being outclassed by a team that beat No. 3 Georgia a week ago. But for a couple of badly missed calls this past Saturday afternoon, the final score could have been:

USC 27, FLA 24

On Florida’s only touchdown of the 3rd quarter, it committed a false start. But no official flagged it although the head linesman could have seen it.

On the same play, as Florida’s Dameon Pierce scurried down the sideline, a team mate grabbed the jersey of Gamecock cornerback Israel Mukuamu and held the only player to make the tackle.

An official less than 10 yards away did not call it.

“I was getting held down the field the whole time,” Mukuamu said.

Cloninger wrote, “When I see a guy getting held for 35 yards all the way down the field, I do start to wonder.”

In the 4th quarter, ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin said Florida scored a touchdown when an offensive player illegally blocked a defender before the pass was completed. That’s OK if the pass is caught behind the line, but not ahead of it.

What is the SEC is doing?

The SEC is reviewing its football officiating.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has distanced his review from the Pac-12’s review but for other reasons.

A series of officiating missteps in the Pac-12, along with interference from its general counsel, damaged that league’s reputation.

The integrity of officiating is doubly important due to sports gambling. Due to basketball point shaving, the NCAA prohibits gambling by its athletes on any sport.

Sankey said part of the review would deal with “conflict of interest” issues.

What else can be done?

There are solutions.

My friend Ted Pitts who officiates SEC games says officials don’t have the luxury of watching replays in slow motion before they make a call or miss a violation.

But they could.

When fans can see violations on jumbotrons, officials should be allowed to review calls or missed calls.

Coaches also should be able to challenge questionable calls —- or lack of them — on game-deciding plays.

The Sports Grouch welcomes emails at Chronicle-Sports@yahoo.com .