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Arizona Football: Pac-12 Referees Missed a Helmet-to-Helmet Call

By Shereen Rayan

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When are Pac-12 referee’s going to wake up and start calling more helmet-to-helmet calls? 

The Wildcats earned a huge win for the team and took Utah out of the National Championship discuss in the process. When unranked, Arizona has beaten a top 10 team four seasons in a row. There is not a team now in the Pac-12 who has less than two losses.

Congratulations to the Wildcats for taking out a top-10 team and becoming bowl eligible at the same time with a 6-5 record!

The Arizona football team suffered a significant loss in the fourth quarter of their enormous game with Utah this past Saturday.

What is most concerning about the Utah game is that no call was made by Pac-12 referees on a damaging hit late with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter to Arizona’s starting quarterback, Anu Solomon. Solomon was hit in the helmet while attempting to slide by Utah’s 270-pound defensive lineman Jason Fanaika and had to go to the trainers bench to get checked out. Not one referee threw a yellow flag on the play, leaving no room for a review.

One could argue that the hit to Solomon could also have been judged a targeted hit either to the head or more probably to the legs, either way, a flag should have been thrown for the helmet-to-helmet infraction. No flag for either, no review, no nothing.

Brad Allis, Editor-In-Chief of Wildcat Sports Report, agreed that the hit should have been flagged, but not for targeting, “IMO [the hit] should’ve been a flag for helmet-to-helmet, not targeting only because when I watched [the] video, Anu is still standing when the Ute dives.”

Sports broadcaster Petros Papadakis during the Fox Sports 1 broadcast continued to suggest during the live TV broadcast that the hit was a shoulder hit and not a helmet hit. On further review, helmets did indeed hit, so Petros was wrong. This is why it makes sense to turn down the TV and turn up the radio to listen to the Arizona IMG Sports Network broadcast; they had a much different reaction.

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Head coach Rich Rodriguez said when Solomon came out he was shaking his head, “I didn’t know if he was okay or not, then when he started to come off and he didn’t answer, it’s time for the trainers.” According to Micheal deCourcy (TheScore.com), ‘Arizona staff took the quarterback’s helmet away from him while evaluating him on the sideline.’

After the game, we spoke with some folks close to Solomon, and they said he was okay and celebrating. It’s good news that he was able to celebrate a win that he earned along with fellow quarterback Jerrard Randall. Randall completed one out of five passes, but that one pass was his last pass to Nate Phillips which sealed the deal for the Cats.

Solomon was the leading rusher in the game with 57 yards. Also scored two touchdowns and completed 17-of-27 passes for a total of 277 yards.

The latest on Solomon, coming from a Jason Scheer tweet is that Solomon is listed as day-to-day.

Next: Arizona Football: Arizona Upsets No. 10 Utah on Senior Night!

Coach Rich Rodriguez said that he will be letting his AD Greg Byrne take care of the discussion with the Pac-12 to avoid penalties. According to Tucson.com, “The UA has filed a formal complaint with the Pac-12 office over the hit that knocked Solomon out.” The article also stated that Jake Matthews injured his foot and is out for the season but will return prior to next season.

On a happy note, Arizona kicker Casey Skowron was selected as Pac-12 player of the week, the first Arizona player this season to be acknowledged. Dad is proud!

There you have it Wildcats fans! Time to complain to the Pac-12 about the non-call!

Hopefully, Anu plays against our ASU rivals to win and keep the Territorial Cup in Tucson.

Beardown!

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