FCS, SWAC must implement some form of instant replay to help officials

Ever had something taken away from you that you knew you so dearly deserved?
Southern receiver and Tallahassee, Fla., native Del Roberts had something ripped away from him, and it may have hurt more than any other mishap.
That something was a 30-yard touchdown reception Roberts had stripped away with 3:28 remaining in SU’s 52-49 loss Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium. The score would have put his Jaguars ahead of Florida A&M 55-52 and provided its first lead since 4:59 in the third when SU led 35-31.
Instead, after the defense jogged onto the field, Roberts and his teammates could only watch as the Rattlers took possession at their own three yard line and ran the remainder of time off the clock.
A sense of how surreal it was: Roberts broke the plane with the football in hand before losing the ball as he fell into the end zone. All the while, the line judge on the far left sideline didn’t know whether to signal a touchdown or rule it a fumble.
“It would have been extra sweet to make that play,” Roberts said. “I had my family here, I just came up short.”
The fact of the matter is, though, Roberts may have thought he come up short, he didn’t.
But, he made the play.
“I really can’t say,” Roberts said of breaking the plane. “Once I caught the ball I saw contact coming so I just put my head down and tried to get through.”
This problem is just one of the reasons why the Southwestern Athletic Conference needs instant replay.
Not to mention the fact that SWAC referee’s are often criticized for advancing the football a half yard following an incomplete pass and oh, don’t forget the ever so famous delay of game where a ref tosses his flag extremely late as he looks to one of his colleagues and wonders whether to make a call or not after a controversial play.
Well, Saturday was enough.
SU was cheated a touchdown that may have possibly catapulted the Jaguars to its fifth consecutive win, a feat it hasn’t accomplished since starting the season 5-0 last year.
SU was also on the short end of the stick when the referees missed a blatant block in the back on Leroy Vann’s punt return that went for a touchdown.
The block sprung Vann, clearing the way for his 66 yard punt return past kicker/punter Josh Duran, the last line of Jaguar defense.
How huge was that score?
It not only swung momentum in the Rattlers’ favor, but also helped them regain a 38-35 lead.
In all, the referees took a score from the Jaguars and put another on the board that was illegitimate.
If this conference’s referees are going to be taken seriously, that has to change.
No one is asking for those guys to be perfect. Just be consistent, as long as you’re not consistently bad.