Luginbill Comes Out Gunning for Officials : College football: SDSU coach decries the work of referees in the Air Force game, citing calls on a trick play and a non-fumble as evidence.

One day after his team’s 20-17 loss to Air Force, San Diego State Coach Al Luginbill blasted the Western Athletic Conference officials who worked the game, calling them “incompetent” and criticizing them for making “blatantly incompetent” calls.

“I think it’s an absolute shame that we cannot get people to be compentent enough in the officiating area to make the obvious correct calls,” Luginbill said. “I’m not sitting here telling you that that’s the reason we lost the game, but when you put kids on an emotional roller coaster, it’s just not fair. . . .

“They deserve criticism--large amounts of it. Just like we’re going to receive large amounts of criticism for our offense.”

Two plays in particular raised Luginbill’s ire: A reversed call on an apparent Air Force fumble at the Aztec 3 in the third quarter and the Falcons’ fumblerooski, one play earlier.

Mostly, Luginbill was upset with the reversed fumble, which came with SDSU clinging to a 14-12 lead. Obasi Onuoha dropped the ball while going around left end and, at first, the referees signalled Aztec ball. But after sending the SDSU defense off the field, the referees ruled that Onuoha was down before he fumbled.

Two plays later, Onuoha scored what turned out to be the winning touchdown.

“I think the fumble call was blatantly incompetent,” Luginbill said. “Over and above that, it’s how they handled it.”

Referee Jack Baker signalled that it was SDSU’s ball but Tim Kuhlman, who had moved from field judge to line judge when David Hettema was injured in the first half, ruled that it was Air Force’s ball.

Kuhlman’s call stood.

“Jack Baker . . . was right,” Luginbill said. “How he let them talk him out of it, I’ll never know. . . .

“If you’re not sure, huddle up and make a decision. When you send kids off and then bring them back on, I don’t think that’s right. It is not fair.”

Luginbill complained to John Adams, WAC supervisor of football officials, Sunday morning. Adams could not be reached for comment.

“You have no recourse for incompetence in the officiating area,” Luginbill said. “If a player is incompetent, in most cases he is more likely to be replaced. If a coach is incompentent, he can be fired.

“If an official is incompetent, he shows up the next week and gets a paycheck. That’s not right.

“There should be a system for them to prove themselves some way, some how. I don’t think my opinion is any different than any coach in the country relative to blatantly incompetent calls.”

According to Luginbill, the current system for evaluating officials in the WAC was instituted in 1989 and involves input from Adams, the coaches and the officials--in equal thirds.

If an official receives consistently low marks, he is put on one year’s probation and, if he has another bad year, he can be removed. Luginbill said, to his knowledge, no official has been removed since he became SDSU coach in 1989.

WAC officials are paid $800 a game.

“Without expenses,” Luginbill said. “That’s a lot of money. This isn’t on-the-job training. They better make sure they earn it.”

What upset Luginbill on the fumblerooski play is that, according to game video, the two officials supposed to be watching the center snap to make sure it was legal turned their heads to watch Falcon quarterback Jarvis Baker roll to his right.

Officials are supposed to be warned by a team before it runs a trick play. Luginbill contends that center Erik Mitchell dropped to his knees, which would have rendered the play illegal, but that the referees who were warned weren’t looking.

“From my discussion with Adams, they both said they lost the ball,” Luginbill said. “For somebody to have been warned that the play was going to be run, that seemed wrong.

“It isn’t whether we won or lost the football game. I’m just saying that there are mechanics that have to be done by officials.”

Luginbill also brought up a play on which SDSU was penalized for not giving a Falcon punt receiver the required two yards to catch the ball.

“There was no flag from the official standing right there,” Luginbill said. “But the official standing 30 yards away throws a flag. That’s incompetence. It wouldn’t be fair to let those officials walk away from that.

“You know what? More than likely I’ll be reprimanded for saying this, but I’d rather be reprimanded and get it right the next time. I’ve got to look my football team in the face. When they see this video, they’re not going to be happy campers--and we’ve got a football game to play Saturday at Colorado State.”

In addition to Baker, Kuhlman, and Hettema, the rest of the crew included umpire John Bradley, linesman Phil Oyler, side judge John Freeman and back judge Frank White.

“They have a tough job; I’m the first one to say that,” Luginbill said. “But we all have tough jobs.”