He Didn’t See It, but They Blew It

The disputed fourth-quarter touchdown call on Chris Miller’s “catch” (replays showed him dropping the ball, then catching it on the bounce), was made by both field judge Richard Schnell and back judge Buddy Horton.

Pool reporter Corky Simpson of the Tucson Citizen was assigned to interview the two afterward, but referee Jim Fogltance insisted on speaking for both of them.

“The calling official saw the receiver had possession, his foot hit the ground and then [he] lost the ball,” Fogltance said.

Schnell, who seemed to be screened from the play, made the first touchdown signal, Horton the second.

The replay was not shown on the stadium TV screen, only in the press box.

There was no officials’ comment on the game’s last play, when USC wanted an incomplete pass ruling on a Brad Otton shovel pass, not an 85-yard runback of a fumble recovery.

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Why did Arizona State Coach Bruce Snyder elect to defend the south goal to begin overtime?

“I wanted to get us away from the SC band,” he explained.

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Snyder, on the pickup and runback of Otton’s “fumble” to end the game:

“When Courtney [Jackson] picked the ball up I looked directly at the referee, he let him run, and I yelled: ‘Go, Courtney, Go!’ ”

Said Jackson: “I looked at the referee, and he gave me a look that said: ‘Why are you still jogging?’ So I ran.”

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Terry Battle started Saturday because Sun Devil tailback starter Michael Martin is out for the rest of the season with a hairline neck fracture. Battle scored four touchdowns, gained 184 yards and had a long run of 32 yards.

He wore tape around his wrist with “29” written on it--Martin’s number. Said Snyder: “We all knew he was a good back, but today he got to start against one of the premier programs in America and showed everyone what he could do.”

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Otton, on heart:

“Some people questioned our heart before today. I don’t think they can do that now. Every time they made a big play, we made one. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Otton said Coach John Robinson told the Trojans afterward they need more attention to detail.

“He told us we’re close to playing like champions, but that we’ve got to take care of a lot of little things,” Otton said.

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USC tackle Darrell Russell, on Jake Plummer: “He is their heart and soul. They would not function without him. He makes them believe.”

Plummer’s 26 completions and 44 attempts were both career highs. He threw to 11 receivers.

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Battle’s four touchdowns were the most rushing by a Sun Devil in 11 years. . . . USC’s Jim Wren punted 11 times for a 49.1-yard average, with a long of 71.