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		Officials suspended...Spartans still lose By Greg Lee sports_reporters@magick-ink.com November 6, 2003
	Hawaii defensive lineman Isaac Sopoaga, kneeling left, consoles San Jose State offensive tackle Osmar Staples, as Hawaii defensive end Travis LaBoy (1) greets San Jose State tight end Courtney Anderson, center standing, after their game at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2003. At right is Spartans' Kevin Israel (65) and Eric Olson (63). Hawaii won 13-10. Anderson was tackled at the 1-yard-line on the final play. Hawaii won, 13-10. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
	The Spartans won a small victory this week, even if it won’t show up in their record. Following the controversial ending to San Jose State’s home loss to the University of Hawaii, SJSU officials requested that the Western Athletic Conference review the video of the game. On Tuesday, WAC Commissioner Karl Benson handed down his judgment and suspended the WAC officiating crew for one game and barred them from participating in any postseason games. “Good players make mistakes and good coaches make mistakes, and in this case good officials made mistakes,” Benson said. “Fortunately, I have not had to take this kind of action that many times before. I've been prepared to take this kind of action and our officials know if there are blatant mistakes, they're going to face the consequences.” The WAC cited multiple errors, by the officiating crew, most significantly the play that ended the game. In the last play of the game, with San Jose State trailing Hawaii by three points, it appeared that Spartan’s quarterback Scott Rislov spiked the ball with one second remaining, setting up the opportunity for a potential game tying field goal. However, it was ruled that time had expired and the game was declared over. Rislov said he appreciated the WAC's ruling. But, the senior added, ``It's still a loss. The score's always going to be 13-10.'' There will be no change to the final outcome of the contest and the game will not be replayed. In a press release, the WAC announced that supervisors review all games and would not comment on whether or not the letter from SJSU had any affect. The defeat left San Jose State 2-6 and guaranteed that the Spartans cannot finish the season with a winning record. “My heart aches for my football team, especially our seniors,” San Jose State Coach Fitz Hill said. A win also would have kept alive San Jose State's slim bowl hopes. Darren Sabedra-SpartanThunder.com contributed to this report