First of all, fans at the game are largely responsible for making the feel of a great fall day with football. It's awesome. So I don't usually like to call out fans that are at the game. If you can make the game but don't go, then those folks have no basis for complaints. Not saying this is your case, just in general.

Okay, the referreeing today wasn't exceptionally good or bad, in my opinion. However, they had a couple of ridiculous calls that didn't sit well with the crowd. My memory is that the taunting call was particularly poor.

But here's the thing. The fans are there to cheer and go nuts; exert energy in support of their team. When the fans feel like the refs are keeping them from releasing that energy in cheering, it just naturally flows out in venting at the refs. I don't believe for a minute that BYU fans are the only ones that boo the refs. I was directly in front of that taunting play on the west side, and I didn't see anything at all; so I thought it was total crap and I let the L and F know about it.

THe other issue is that you only get one angle when you're watching it live, and with BYU's ridiculous policy of not replaying controversial plays, we don't get the benefit of other views. It may well have been a valid taunting, but none of us could see that. The refs get the benefit of the doubt for the first couple of bad calls, and then the restless energy the fans have has to be let out somehow...

But to call out fans in attendance for expressing their opinion that the refs made some bad calls is bad form, I think. Those fans spend a lot of money and time to support the football team.

If people were giving them a hard time after the game, well I don't think that's cool. But the refs know what they're signing up for and if the entire crowd thinks they did a crappy job, then perception is reality in this case.