The Lions' Pride

The Northwestern players and staff were definitely trying to taunt the PSU fans after the bogus PI call. The NW players were jumping up and own, waving their arms up and down, etc.

Needless to say, the NW players were kinda calm in the 4th Q when we took the lead. Life must be different when you're 1-7 vs. PSU in Happy Valley!!!

I saw the coaches and players asking the crowd to get louder, like saying it does not bother us. I did not see Fitz do any of that at all, and I saw him yell at the ref when OB was on the field, telling them they needed to stop that, but he was not yelling at OB in my opinion and I sit in row L....in WD right behind the benches.

Let's dial it back a bit. Remind me when the last time Northwestern was 5-0 and had a chance to go 6-0. His team was behind that the moment and quite frankly, were playing poorly offensively. He was trying to get the sideline going. The Pat Fitzgerald I knew as a player was hard nosed; blue collar, but respectful. He hasn't changed one bit as a coach. So fist pumping after a bogus PI call on Morris gets the west stands in an uproar. Time for him to go on the list with the turds in Columbus, Madison, Champaign, and Watts.

Im not sure where we are going with this thread b/c not true.
I was in the west side. Row 4. I saw Fitz the whole game.
I never saw Fitzgerald mock our fans or OB.
I did see what he did when OB came out & yelled at the refs.
We had an insignificant injury that allowed OB to come out on the field to check on the player. Instead of checking on Morris, OB took the opportunity to go after the field judge who called the phantom PI call. OB was really letting guy had it.
The other refs were trying to stop OB, but didnt throw a flag.
That is when Fitzgerald went onto the field & complained to the refs that they should throw a flag on OB for arguing & trying to intimidate them.
OB then started yelling at Fitzgerald.
It was all gamesmanship.
When he returned to the sideline, Fitz was having fun with his kids & staff & made a funny face & smiled at his players & coaches (not the fans) b/c he knew he just got away with a terrible pass interference call.
Fitz then tried to intimidate the new HL (replaced the injured HL).
He was new, so Fitz wanted to see how far he could go trying to work the ref by going well past the 25 yd line after the FJ made another PI call but against Northwestern.

I dont see anything wrong with what he did or what OB did.
I officiate sports on the college level & coaches at the D1 college level would never allow what OB did without saying a thing. Fitz wanted to make sure the Ref werent intimidated by OB & didnt get the next call. Well, PSU did get the next PI call so OB got what he wanted as well.

It was all done by two good young coaches trying to work the refs.
No harm & certainly nothing bad.
There was one Northwestern coach, an older man with gray crewcut who was mocking thefans with his raising the roof signal each tie they scored. He was silenced when we scored the last two TDs & the entire WF section was mocking him with te raise the roof sign right back at him. It was great moment by our fans. loved it.

Pretty sure its "too," but "as well" would've been a better choice.

there was no shouting match? um, ok. i assume you watcged on tv as all 9kK of us in the stadium saw the two coaches jawing at one another dude. it would have been a full out bar brawl had it started at a different time and place. Fitz was coming AT BOB, and BOB right back. HEATED and tense. And Fitz and his players were raising the roof and laughing as the fans booed and cheered. Fitz staring down folks in the crowd. CLASSLESS. I was shocked.

You made a point that I never entertained before. What if BOB does get ejected from the game, who calls the plays then?

I tend to agree with this. If the tables were turned I think there would be a lot of people here claiming the other coach was classless for using an injury to walk on to midfield and give it to the refs about a call on the play.

Frankly, I saw 2 coaches passionate about winning in the middle of a hard fought game that was coming down to the wire. OB shouldn't have been yelling at the refs on the field... Fitz had every right to ask why OB was being allowed to do that and being upset that he wasn't flagged. Likewise, coaches and players mocking the fans isn't something I like to see either. seems like a big, overblown non-issue to me.

I thought part of the reason OB was yellin at the ref was that if not for the lame PI call, then the player being down on the field doesnt occur. That PI was on third down.

God no. I'm a junior in college, hopefully those days are at least a few years away.

My girlfriend is an Agy fan though (), which IMO is much, much worse.