On a late autumn afternoon in college football, a conference that governs its games through instant replay has acknowledged that its own review room got three decisions wrong, each one tilting a close contest toward BYU. The errors surfaced in the Cougars' wins over Notre Dame and Arizona State and in a finish against UCF that was shaped by a penalty that should not have been called. The Big 12 has not claimed a plot; it has conceded that human judgment, working under pressure and in distant booths, sometimes misses what the rulebook plainly says, and it has promised a full look at how its end
Big 12 Admits Replay Errors Helped BYU Twice, Including a Late Clock Call Against Notre Dame
The clock read 0:01 as the ball hit the turf.
Mark
Three replay errors in three weeks, all around one team. Why does this one stick?
Mimi
Because two of them touched the ending of a game or the scoreboard directly. The Notre Dame clock read 0:01 and the play was cleared anyway. The Big 12 said so itself.
Mark
And the Arizona State touchdown?
Mimi
The whistle had blown, so the ball couldn't be advanced. Replay confirmed the fumble and the score separately but still awarded the touchdown. The conference said the right ruling was BYU ball, third-and-goal from the 2.
Luke
Worth separating what's confirmed. The Big 12 admitted the Notre Dame and Arizona State errors in its own statements. The UCF runoff error comes from rules analysts like Terry McAulay, not from a conference admission, at least in this reporting.
Mark
So the UCF one is an outside judgment.
Luke
Right. And it's not clear the conference has said anything about it.
Mimi
Dillingham's comment is telling too. He said the on-field officials aren't at fault because replay decisions are made back home.
Luke
That's his account, though. It's a coach's explanation, not a finding.
Mark
Did the errors change outcomes?
Luke
Unknown. The piece says BYU might have stopped Notre Dame anyway, and might have scored from the two. And BYU lost at UCF despite the runoff error and got a roughing flag against it in overtime.
Mimi
The conference promised a full review of its end-of-game process, which is the concrete thing to watch.
Il Polso
- A replay crew cleared a final play against Notre Dame even though the clock still showed a second, and fans rushed the field before anyone could reverse course.
- A helmet-related runoff was applied to UCF's late field goal attempt even though the kick had been blocked and the clock stopped for a different reason, sending a game into overtime.
- A touchdown that should have been wiped out against Arizona State stood on replay, and the Big 12 has now admitted it was wrong.
- The conference is racing to review its end-of-game officiating before next week, while BYU heads to Salt Lake City to face No. 3 Utah in a tight conference race.
On a late autumn afternoon in college football, a conference that governs its games through instant replay has acknowledged that its own review room got three decisions wrong, each one tilting a close contest toward BYU. The errors surfaced in the Cougars' wins over Notre Dame and Arizona State and in a finish against UCF that was shaped by a penalty that should not have been called. The Big 12 has not claimed a plot; it has conceded that human judgment, working under pressure and in distant booths, sometimes misses what the rulebook plainly says, and it has promised a full look at how its end-of-game process works before the next slate of games.
The ball hit the turf on the final play of BYU's home game against Notre Dame, and the stadium clock still read 0:01. The replay crew cleared the play anyway. Fans poured onto the field, and the Cougars completed an upset of the then-No. 2 Fighting Irish. Later, the Big 12 said the viewers who had spotted the clock were right, and that the crew had wrongly cleared the play. The conference promised a complete review of its end-of-game process before the following week's games.
The next week at UCF, a late finish again turned on an official's call. With the score tied at 24 and 11 seconds left, the Knights lined up for a field goal. The kick was blocked without crossing the line of scrimmage, and kicker Will Stone recovered it, losing his helmet in the tackle. Officials flagged BYU for a facemask, then picked it up and applied a 10-second runoff for the helmet. Analysts noted that runoff should not have applied, since the clock had stopped for a legal kick down. The game went to double overtime, where BYU fell short after a roughing-the-kicker penalty and a UCF touchdown.
On Halloween in Provo, a third replay error went BYU's way. Bachmeier was ruled down at the one-yard line, but Arizona State's Sione Moa scooped up the fumble and carried it into the end zone. Replay confirmed the score even though the whistle had already ended the play. The Big 12 admitted the ruling was wrong and that BYU should have had the ball on third-and-goal from the two. Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham had argued the point during the game and afterward.
The author sees these mistakes as signs of a strained officiating system rather than a scheme. Such errors tend to balance out over a season, and fans on every side can point to calls that went against them. Still, the stakes are high. BYU faces Utah on Saturday in a Big 12 race that is still open, and the conference's review of its end-of-game process will be watched closely.
The ball hit the turf on the last play of BYU's home game against Notre Dame, and the stadium clock read 0:01. The replay crew cleared the play anyway, fans stormed the field, and the Cougars had their upset of the then-No. 2 Fighting Irish. Later the Big 12 Conference said the viewers who spotted the clock were right.
The game itself had been tight to the end. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier found tight end Walker Lyons with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter to put BYU up 28-24. Notre Dame drove down the field and converted a six-yard pass on fourth-and-5, which set up one more shot at the end zone from the 8-yard line with four seconds showing. C.J. Carr's pass fell incomplete.
The conference's statement was direct. After reviewing the final play, it said, time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground, and the replay officiating crew incorrectly cleared the play. It promised a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process before the following week's games. The source notes that BYU might well have stopped Notre Dame on one more snap and won regardless, but the error was clear and it favored the Cougars.
The next week, at UCF, the officiating again shaped a late finish. With the score 24-24 and 11 seconds left, the Knights lined up for a third-down field goal. Kicker Will Stone's attempt was blocked without crossing the line of scrimmage, and Stone recovered it himself. His helmet came off as he was tackled. Officials threw a flag for a BYU facemask, then picked it up, and then applied a 10-second runoff for the helmet coming off. Analysts, including Terry McAulay, explained that such a runoff applies only when the helmet is the reason the clock stopped. Here the clock had also stopped because of a legal kick down, so the runoff should not have been applied. UCF lost its chance at a game-winning kick and the game went to overtime.
BYU lost anyway, in double overtime, and not on friendly calls. When Stone made a field goal to put UCF up 34-31, BYU's Kendall Wall was flagged for roughing the kicker. Rather than needing a field goal to tie, the Cougars watched UCF score a touchdown on the ensuing first-and-goal and convert the two-point try. BYU then had four tries from the four-yard line and came up empty.
On Halloween in Provo, a third replay error went BYU's way, this time in the first quarter against Arizona State. Bachmeier tried to run it in from the one-yard line but fumbled right after the snap. Sione Moa fell on the ball and advanced it into the end zone. Replay confirmed both the fumble and the score. But the whistle had blown to signal that Bachmeier was ruled down, and after that the ball could not be advanced. The touchdown should not have stood.
The Big 12 again issued a statement: replay was incorrect in awarding a score, and the correct ruling was BYU ball, third-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham had been furious at the time and after the game. He said he argued that a player may recover a fumble after the whistle but that it is not a clear advancement, which would put the ball at the three. He added that the officials on the field were not at fault, because they have no say in replay decisions, which are made back home.
The piece's author doesn't see a conspiracy to push BYU toward the College Football Playoff. He reads the errors as mistakes and a sign of a growing officiating problem in the sport. He also notes that Cougars fans can point to calls they believe went against their team, and that such things normally even out over a season.
BYU's next test is Saturday at rival Utah in Salt Lake City, matching No. 7 BYU against No. 3 Utah. The Big 12 race is tight, with Utah 5-0, BYU 4-1 and Texas Tech 4-1, so the outcome could affect both the conference title game and playoff positioning. The conference's promised review of its end-of-game process will be on view as well.
Citazioni salienti
Replay was incorrect in awarding a score. The correct ruling should have been BYU ball for a third-and-goal from the 2-yard line.— Big 12 Conference statement on BYU-Arizona State
The conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week's games.— Big 12 Conference statement on BYU-Notre Dame
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