Last week Penn State coach Joe Paterno chastised Big Ten officials. This week it’s Northwestern coach Randy Walker’s turn.
At his Monday press conference, Walker said Penn State was clearly the better team and deserved to win Saturday’s 49-0 contest, but that the officiating made the Wildcats’ defense look worse than it actually played.
“Our defense and our defensive staff will get maligned and ridiculed about the way they played and giving up that much yardage,” Walker said. “But I will assure you this: If they aren’t going to call holding in this league, we will give up that much again.”
The Cats allowed 423 yards rushing Saturday, and Penn State running back Larry Johnson set a school record by running for 257 yards in a little more than two quarters of play.
Walker acknowledged that his players missed tackles, but after watching the game film he said the Cats didn’t have the opportunity to make many.
“I’m just trying to defend our kids, and I was one of the first to say (after the game) that we have to get off blocks and make plays,” Walker said. “Well, you have to have a chance to make the tackles, and I’m not sure we had a chance to in some cases.”
Penn State was not called for a single hold and had only six penalties for 47 yards in the game, while NU committed nine penalties for 90 yards, including a first-quarter holding call.
The Nittany Lions are the least penalized team in the Big Ten this season, averaging less than 34 yards a game in penalties. The Cats are the most flagged team with more than 70 yards a game in penalties.
“Our kids will probably be shocked because I’m usually on their butts and am an accountability-and-no-excuse guy,” Walker said. “And this sounds like I’m making excuses. It sure as heck sounds like it after you get your butts tagged like we did.
“But I’m not a complainer, and I had the right to complain a couple of weeks ago about things I didn’t.”
Walker was referring to a couple of questionable calls two weeks ago in a 27-16 loss to then-No. 5 Ohio State. Officials ruled that wide receiver Mark Philmore juggled a catch that would have resulted in a 20-yard touchdown, and that Jon Schweighardt juggled a third-down pass that would have resulted in a first down.
Walker never complained publicly about those calls like he did about the holding and clipping penalties this week.
“It’s just a real disappointment, and I’m doing it to defend our kids and our defensive coaches,” Walker said. “I’m only concerned about the psychology and welfare of our kids.”
The players avoided discussing the penalties on Monday, and cornerback Raheem Covington said Walker didn’t emphasis the poor officiating with the team at Sunday’s practice.
“He might of brushed by it, but he didn’t make it a big issue,” Covington said. “We have to play football, and if they’re holding us, the referees need to make the calls. If they didn’t make the call, they didn’t see it.”
Walker’s initial frustration boiled over following Saturday’s 49-0 loss.
“We sure didn’t come up on the right side of the yellow flags,” Walker said after the game. “I don’t know if we got any calls today. Not that we were looking for calls, but whatever (Paterno) did, it worked.”
Paterno didn’t have anything to complain about this week after criticizing referees for ruling a catch out of bounds in the final minutes of a 27-24 loss to Michigan on Oct. 12.
On Monday, Walker didn’t want to comment on Paterno’s remarks. And he was not concerned about having to pay the $10,000 fine the Big Ten issues to coaches for criticizing the officials.
“(If they fine me), then there are some other guys who are going to write that same check,” Walker said.
