Oops.
That’s basically what the Big 12 said after Saturday night’s game between Notre Dame and BYU, which ended in a 28-24 victory for the No. 2 Irish — who surely would have moved into No. 1 with a win, thanks to the loss of No. 1 Georgia earlier in the day.
The game ended after an Irish pass to first and the field goal fell incomplete in the end zone. There was one second left on the clock. Nobody noticed it. Neither the officials nor the show.
“Following the Big 12’s review of the final play of Saturday’s Notre Dame-BYU game, it has been determined that time remained on the clock when the ball touched the ground and the play was improperly cleared by the replay officiating crew,” the Big 12 said in a statement. “The Conference will conduct a full review of its end-of-game officiating process prior to next week’s games.”
It’s a great concert. Mistakes without consequences. Just say “sorry” and move on.
Last Sunday, referee Ron Torbert was categorical that there was one second left in the Eagles-Jaguars game in London after Jacksonville kick returner Ameer Abdullah was tackled in the game-winning field goal with one second left in overtime. (Which is good, not only because Torbert was right, but also because NFL rules prohibit a replay review regarding time remaining when less than two seconds are left on the clock.)
Last night the referee missed it. The rest of the crew missed it. The replay process – which is there specifically for the purpose of spotting things that on-field officials miss – missed it. Everyone missed it.
Except those who, you know, were watching the game on TV.
Here is the question. Did the replay makers miss it, or did they just say “screw it” because the LaVell Edwards Stadium crowd stormed the field? It would have been difficult (but not impossible) to clear the zone and resume play.
The Big 12’s statement glosses over the explanation of how this happened. This is the explanation of Occam’s Razor. If true, that makes the outcome even worse. And, if that’s the case, the “complete review of the end-of-game refereeing process” should include the permanent removal of whoever made that decision.
Gn sports
