Referees do not decide outcomes

The goal-line discussion took less than a minute, but its repercussions could resound for months.

Head linesman Mike Owens had both hands in the air, prompting a wild celebration from those wearing red along Kenan Stadium's north sideline Saturday.

But line judge Rick Page simultaneously was sprinting from the opposite sideline, pointing at the spot on the grass where he'd seen the knee of N.C. State tailback T.A. McLendon hit the ground.

The roars of the crowd muffled the initial words of explanation from referee Jim Knight, but his intentions became clear when the "30" on the right side of the scoreboard suddenly reverted back to "24."

At that moment, the focus of the game - despite the valiant performances of players on both sides - shifted to the men in black-and-white stripes.

N.C. State fans likely will cry foul for years, claiming their victory was taken away by a man too far from the play to see it clearly.

But any North Carolina fans accusing their counterparts of sour grapes should admit that they would have reacted similarly had the touchdown stood as originally called.

When a game-deciding play leaves as much room for doubt as McLendon's carry did, it's natural for those on the losing side to aim their blame at the referees.

But that doesn't make it right.

The Wolfpack could have rendered the debate completely moot, for example, had an N.C. State lineman put a body on North Carolina defensive end Khalif Mitchell on the ensuing play.

If McLendon finds the end zone on his next try - or if quarterback Jay Davis fakes a handoff and strolls between the pylons himself - few would have remembered the controversy of the previous play.

By the same token, if the Tar Heels hadn't allowed an 11-yard pass from Davis to T.J. Williams on fourth-and-6 deep in Wolfpack territory, the game already would have been over.

There's a common thread to both of the above scenarios - the players.

As much as N.C. State supporters would like to believe that Page and Knight robbed them of a third straight win against the Tar Heels, the players on both sides decided the game.

The Wolfpack had plenty of opportunities to put the game away. In the second half alone, tailback Reggie Davis fumbled at the North Carolina 23-yard line, and Jay Davis threw an interception at the Tar Heels' 43.

Those turnovers - not to mention the decision to accept a third-down penalty that allowed North Carolina to score a 23-yard touchdown rather than settle for a field goal - played a much bigger role in the outcome of the game than did the referees.

Knight and Page, in fact, only were put in position to make that game-deciding call because the Wolfpack hadn't taken advantage of those earlier opportunities.

It's also important to remember that rulings even out in the course of a game. N.C. State fans upset about the controversial goal-line play would do well to remember that the officials appeared to miss two critical delay-of-game calls on the Wolfpack's final drive, calls that likely would have put the end zone well out of reach.

As much as some fans would like to believe otherwise, football games still are decided by the men with the ball and not the men with the whistles.

Contact Brian MacPherson at brimac@email.unc.edu.