Sooners Upset at Pac-10

Oklahoma would consider canceling its game
at Washington in 2008 if the Pacific 10 Conference does not change
its rule requiring Pac-10 officials to be used at its home
stadiums, Sooners coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday.

Last week, the Sooners (2-1) gave up two touchdowns in the final
72 seconds and Garrett Hartley had a go-ahead 44-yard
field-goal attempt blocked in a 34-33 defeat at Oregon.

However, the second touchdown came after Oregon recovered an
onside kick that did not travel the requisite 10 yards.
Oklahoma challenged the call, but it was upheld following a
video review.

On Monday, the Pac-10 Conference suspended the officiating crew
and video reviewers one game for their actions. That did not
satisfy Sooners coach Bob Stoops, whose team's BCS bowl
aspirations took a hit.

"I find it still absolutely inexcusable and unacceptable, in
particular (the) people who had an opportunity to review it all
and look at it and get it right," Stoops said. "They chose not
to. You discern whether a one-game suspension is appropriate
for those individuals.

"I'm not talking about people in the heat of the moment out
there in the middle of the chaos. I'm talking about people who,
like every viewer at home, had an opportunity to see it. It's
not for me to decide what is appropriate, but I think it's fair
to say that a one-game suspension compared to the way our season
now is altered, I don't know if that fits the situation."

On Monday, Oklahoma president David Boren sent a letter to Big
12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg asking him to pursue having the
Pac-10 remove its officiating policy.

"I think there's no question that (athletic director) Joe
Castiglione and I and President Boren, if that rule is not changed
that we may reconsider that game, and I think it's justified. We'll
look into that."

Oklahoma defeated Washington 37-20 on Sept. 9 in the first game
of the home-and-home series.

The Sooners also played a home-and-home series against UCLA of
the Pac-10 in 2003 and 2005. The game at Oregon concluded a series
that began in Norman in 2004.


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