CINCINNATI — Cincinnati blew a 21-point lead against Pitt on Saturday afternoon, not trailing until very late in the fourth quarter, but Cincy head coach Scott Satterfield seemed more concerned with the officiating than anything else.
Satterfield opened his post-game media conference by addressing his disappointment in the outcome of the contest, but he brought up officiating early — and often.
Satterfield mentioned the Bearcats giving up a sack and pressure on their last two drives and deciding to “pin (the Panthers) back” late in the fourth quarter, leading by just two points, in order to force Pitt to drive the majority field for a potential game-winning field goal attempt.
The beef with the officiating crew stems from a play on the ensuing drive.
“Everything was going according to plan until the 4th-and-4,” Satterfield told the media following the loss. “And then they called a penalty on one of our D-linemen, saying that he was acting like he was calling the cadence or something. Whatever they call that. And you can’t hear a D-lineman because our stadium was extremely loud on that 4th-and-4. You can’t hear anything, and I don’t even know what the time was, probably a minute and a half on 4th-and-4, and they wanna call that and bail them and give them a first down. And they get down and they’re able to kick a field goal.
“So, there was a couple things like that that happened that was very disappointing. We got a holding call in the first half when we hit a completion there inside the 10, they called holding, by the same guy that called this penalty. So, very disappointed in some of those calls there, to say the least. Because they affect the games, and our guys are making plays out there and then all of the sudden they get bailed off the hook.”
The 4th-and-4 penalty he’s referring to was a defensive delay of game penalty called on Cincy defensive tackle Kamari Burns with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter. It moved the Panthers up five yards from their own 26, moving the sticks in the process. It’s a legitimate penalty. And it led to an eventual 35-yard Ben Sauls field goal with just 17 seconds left in the game.
But it’s not as though it was a determining call in the game; it’s not as if there was a discrepancy in penalties. Pitt was whistled five times for 50 yards, and Cincinnati was whistled six times for 59 yards.
The game was certainly not going according to plan for Cincinnati, having allowed the Panthers’ offense to score touchdowns on three consecutive drives while failing to answer in response — to any of the three touchdowns. And Pitt was nowhere near field goal range even after the Burns’ penalty.
Cincinnati lost because it wasn’t able to hold onto a 21-point lead, not because of the officiating. And that’s on Satterfield and the Cincy coaching staff.
What about ALL the other bad calls against Pitt??? Like face mask on the kickoff not called, but holding was multiple times, the 2 offsides (one on the 2 point conversion sack), all the WR push-offs, and more.
It’s a bad break, but move on. That play didn’t end the game, as there was a lot of football yet to be played.
Losers blame the refs!
H2P!!!
well said Kevin
I didn’t feel the calls were one-sided but truthfully, Narduzzi probably would have brought up the same penalty if it was called on us at a similar juncture. It is difficult to stomach given the pending circumstances.
bad/missed calls on both sides…it was an evenly called game. Maybe try scoring more points coach!
Sad. Be better
When you are up 21 points in the second half and squander it the blame lies on the coaches and players. The coach deep down knows that, too. It is easier to rationalize the loss when you can blame someone else.
Guess he didn’t mention how the refs continually let them get away with OL holds and their WRs pushing our DBs off.
Your team blew a 21 point lead coach, that’s on you coach not a singular call…..take it like a man and grow from it…..
There were bad calls on both teams. That is a weekly thing. Satterfield is just a little B!t*h. He’s always been one.
Duzz is the same after a tough loss
Like an old friend of mine used to say “cry, cry, darlin’.”
Think that the announcers agreed that it was a good call, adding that this penalty was going to be emphasized by the refs this season.
Your article fails to describe how the defensive tackle caused a delay of game. And whining that we received bad calls just doesn’t cut it.
Yeah, its the refs. He has been a great coach up til them. /s
Wonder who he’ll blame for next week’s loss against Miami.