Iowa State's Matt Campbell and Michigan's Jim Harbaugh are similar in a lot of ways, but for all the ways that they are similar, there are probably twice as many areas (ranging from coaching styles and philosophies to personality traits) where they could not possibly be more different.
One of those areas between the two of them that is very different is their post game response to questions regarding controversial calls in games that they lost.
That was on full display this past weekend, as both coaches were asked about plays where a call regarding a fumble took points off the board for their teams.
On the Iowa State side of things, with just under six minutes to go in their game against West Virginia down seven points, Cyclones running back Brees Hall seemed to have scored a touchdown. However, at the end of the play you can see a West Virginia player emerge from a goal line pile running with the ball.
The official on the Iowa State sideline initially signaled touchdown, but other officials in the area insisted it was a fumble. that was recovered in the end zone by the Mountaineers.
The swing in momentum was ultimately too much to overcome, as the Cyclones lost to the Mountaineers 38-31.
After the game, Campbell was asked about the controversial call.
"I watch the line judge on our side signal a TD, and then it's not a TD. I guess I don't understand really the mechanics of what's going on."
"My heart goes out to our kids, but we can't put ourselves in a position where we let others dictate the outcome."
On the flip side of the coin, you've got Harbaugh who didn't mince words regarding the officiating following their game against Michigan State.
In the second quarter, Michigan had a touchdown wiped off the board when it looked as if a pressure from David Ojabo led to the ball popping loose from MSU quarterback Payton Thorne and Aidan Hutchinson fell on it in the end zone.
The original call on the field was a fumble recovered for a Wolverine touchdown. But a replay overturned that call on the field. By the end of the game, every single one of the other five reviewed calls on the field favored the Spartans, leading to a rather salty Harbaugh post game.
“That should have never happened," Harbaugh opened by stating.
"They said that his shin was down. I said ‘1/2 a shin?’ It looked like there was no conclusive evidence. Anyone with a non-partial view knows it has to be irrefutable. You feel for the players that deserved better when other reviews were left to stand or overturned based on what was called on the field.”
Here's the play.
Harbaugh's clear displeasure for the officiating in the tight rivalry game spilled over to players, like defensive lineman Mike Morris who, when asked about the same play, shared; "It didn't matter because, going into that game, I didn't think the refs were going to have our backs."
"I felt like it wasn't going to go our way. It's like when you're an away team, it's going to favor the home team more times than not."
After seeing the perspective of both coaches, ask yourself: Where do you fit in? be honest. Are you more Campbell or Harbaugh?
CMC on the review: I watch the line judge on our side signal a TD, and then it’s not a TD. I guess I don’t understand really the mechanics of what’s going on. My heart goes out to our kids, but we can’t put ourselves in a position where we let others dictate the outcome
— Randy Peterson (@RandyPete) October 30, 2021