What was that all about? It sure did look like it was on purpose.
That QB needs to hit the weight room.
Pretty borderline, but my vote is on “Fight or Flight”.
Terrible video, but from the other angle it looks more like he’s trying to step inside the player, but gets it all wrong:
I love the way the comments on that first video appear to have devolved into an argument about the Bush/Gore election. Ah, Youtube.
ETA: so what was the call on the play? Anyone know?
Better video, from the other thread started about this.
It’s possible that the ref was ticked at the player and temporarily lost his mind, but I think it’s more likely that he was just cornered and picked the wrong escape hatch. The defenders were barreling toward him from his left, so if he just stood there he would be blocking for the QB instead of tackling him. If the QB had continued running horizontally the ref would’ve skirted just past him, but instead the QB turned upfield just as the ref made started to make his own move, hence the collision.
I think.
It sure like he moved towards him on purpose to me. The other angle seems to confirm it.
I think it’s pretty clear from VarlosZ’s video that the ref just got unlucky, and that he wasn’t purposefully trying to level the QB.
Much harder to tell in the Youtube video.
It looked to me like for a moment, the ref thought he was playing the game. When he takes a few shuffle steps to line up with the QB, then realizes that he shouldn’t do that and moves out of the way a bit too late.
He unmistakably accelerates his arm and right shoulder towards the quarterback as he leans into the collision.
It’s possible he did that to save himself (or instinct took over) when he realized a collision was going to happen, but he definately participated in that hit. Otherwise physics says the collision would have looked different (he would have been bounced back or sideways if he was just hit while trying to get out of the way).
I’ve played a lot less football than I’ve played rugby, and dropping that shoulder like that is the (now?) natural response when somebody is near you, even if they’re on your own team. If I’m going to take a hit, darn right I’m going to present the hard part of my body.
Dropping the shoulder = reflex
Dropping the shoulder and stepping into the guy like you’re throwing a shoulder block = WWE
If you don’t step into the guy, you’re gunna be the one getting knocked on your ass, and dropping the shoulder will have been for naught. It’s the same reflex, IMHO. Note that the ref doesn’t take the step forward until after Garcia cut and had already taken two steps directly at the ref.
All of which misses the point that the official’s response should have been to side step the player, not take a step INTO him.
It’s the step INTO the player that is the key to seeing that this wasn’t just a normal player v. umpire crash. Umpires get run into a lot; it’s one of the more common hazards of that particular position of football officialdom. But they don’t usually get run into while staring directly at the player who is doing the running (he’s not supposed to be watching the ball carrier in the first place, he’s supposed to be looking for various common fouls in his area, like holding by the linemen, etc.), and they damn certain don’t get run into while taking a step forward into the player and giving them a forearm shiver.
I hear that the SEC office is saying that he was properly positioned and merely defending himself. Sorry. For my money, some sort of message was being relayed to the South Carolina quarterback by that particular positioning and method of defending himself. And none of it had to do with proper officiating. Hopefully, he’s getting a private word from the bosses on the subject.
Quick footwork to avoid hits is the key to being a football umpire. I don’t buy the “accident” explanation either.
I think you guys are underestimating how fast college ball players are, and how quickly one can find themselves out of position when they’re -trying- to make a tackle.
A white quarterback? Fast? 
I can believe it happened fast. That does not mean it was an accident, save for a very loose definition of “accident”. The ref botched things up. Whether he was deliberately screwing with the game, I don’t know. But either he’s incompetent or dishonest - there ain’t no other option.
These days, I’ve got the antithesis of what would consider a “fast” frame (front row forward), but you should see me run when I get the ball. Whoah, boy!
Also, Garcia is generally not the first surname that comes to mind when I think of a white guy.
Fear can be a wonderful incentive, eh?