Big Ten tinkering with replay

The Big Ten is telling its technical advisers to use “common sense” with instant replay after a five-minute delay in Wisconsin’s season opener against Central Florida riled coaches on both sides.

The holdup resulted in a 21-yard gain for Badgers running back Anthony Davis instead of a 22-yard gain.

The league said it “reminded the technical advisers to be mindful of game interruptions associated with video reviews. Good judgment entails protecting the flow of the game against unnecessary interruptions unless it appears that an officiating call may be in error, and that the call has a discernible competitive impact on the game.”

The Big Ten is the first conference to use instant replay to review officials’ calls. The NCAA authorized the conference to use video replay to correct officiating mistakes on a one-year trial basis.

A technical adviser buzzes the referee if he feels a call was incorrect. Neither coaches nor officials on the field can call for a review. The conference said there were more than 1,100 plays in seven televised games last Saturday and just two of them were reviewed, both in Wisconsin’s 34-6 win over Central Florida.

The experimental system drew the ire of both Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez and Central Florida’s Dave Huxtable, who assumed head coaching responsibilities with George O’Leary attending his mother’s funeral in New York.

Dontez Sanders’ 50-yard fumble return for a Wisconsin touchdown was called back to midfield when the replay official ruled Sanders had a knee down when a fumble bounced into his hands.

On the next play, Davis ran down the left sideline for 21 yards. The referee announced a review by the replay official had found that Davis stepped out of bounds at the Central Florida 41 instead of the 28. Upon further review, he corrected the call to show Davis stepped out at the 29.

Five plays later, John Stocco threw a touchdown pass that probably should have been reviewed but wasn’t.