SEATTLE — While University of Washington coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Jake Locker were saying all the right things two days later in regards to the officiating in Saturday’s game, at least one Husky football player let his feelings be known Monday.
Running back Chris Polk, who was at the center of one of the most controversial calls in a 37-30 overtime loss to Notre Dame, said that officiating cost UW the game.
“Everyone knows,” he said with a shrug. “If they watch the replays, they know that on the two-point conversion (late in the fourth quarter, the Notre Dame runner’s) knee was down. And they know that when I scored, it was a touchdown.
“They didn’t beat us, the refs beat us, in a sense.”
Sarkisian and Locker were more diplomatic, pointing out that the Huskies (2-3) had plenty of opportunities to win the game but failed to take advantage.
“There were a lot of things we couldn’t control; there were a lot of things we could control,” said Locker, who was so miffed after the loss that he did not speak to reporters Saturday night. “Neither of them you can go back and change.”
Polk showed no visible anger Monday, shrugging as he talked about what he perceived as blown calls.
“I’m at peace with it because the nation knows we should have won, and they (the Fighting Irish) know we should have won,” Polk said. “As long as they know that, I’m OK with it.”
On the play in question, Polk was initially ruled to have scored a 6-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. But officials looked at the replay and ruled that his knee was down before the ball crossed the goal line. On six successive snaps — the Huskies got an extra set of downs when Notre Dame was flagged for a personal-foul penalty on a field-goal attempt — UW could not get into the end zone and settled for a field goal.
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