Big 12 admits mistake: Notre Dame deserved final play in controversial loss to BYU
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The Big 12 admitted its replay officials wrongly ended No. 8 BYU’s 28-24 win over No. 2 Notre Dame, confirming the Fighting Irish deserved one final snap inside the BYU 10-yard line with a touchdown needed to win.
In a statement released early Sunday, the conference said, “Time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground, and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew.”
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What did the Big 12 admit?
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr’s first-down fade to wide receiver Jaden Greathouse fell incomplete in the south end zone at LaVell Edwards Stadium, and BYU fans stormed the field seconds later. Replays showed one second still on the clock when the ball landed, but the booth never stopped the game to check it.
The Irish reached that snap after Carr hit Micah Gilbert for a 5-yard first down with five seconds left and called a timeout. Because Notre Dame is independent, the opponent’s league officiated the game, so a Big 12 crew handled the finish.
Former NFL referee Terry McAulay, now a rules analyst for NBC, wrote that “replay should have been reviewed to determine if the in-stadium clock was at 0:01 at that point and if so, ND would have had one more play.” Under rules approved in March, the stadium clock is the official game time.
The Big 12 said it “will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games.” The 28-24 final stands.
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Notre Dame’s final play in Provo
The clock wasn’t Notre Dame’s only complaint. BYU cornerback Evan Johnson stayed draped on Greathouse without a flag, and ABC rules analyst Matt Austin said on the broadcast, “I think it warranted a flag.” A pass interference call would’ve given the Irish another snap from the 2-yard line.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman wasn’t asked about the clock after the game, and he declined to blame the officials for the no-call.
“It was chaos, man,” Freeman said. “I know people are going to look for me to put blame on somebody else. That’s not what we do around here. We own it.”
BYU coach Kalani Sitake said the remaining time didn’t matter because “it was fourth down,” though the Irish had just picked up a first down on the previous play.
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How does this affect Notre Dame?
The loss dropped Notre Dame to 6-1 and snapped a 16-game winning streak, while BYU moved to 6-0 with its first win over the Irish since 2004. Bear Bachmeier threw the go-ahead touchdown to tight end Walker Lyons with 1:47 left in front of the College GameDay crowd.
The Big 12’s admission adds to a string of final-second controversies this fall. In Week 1, the Big Ten didn’t follow protocol when it put a second back before Michigan’s game-winning Hail Mary in a 13-12 win over Western Michigan. In Week 5, Idaho ended Montana State’s 19-game win streak after a second was added back.
Notre Dame missed the College Football Playoff last season, and the Irish now carry a four-point loss on a drive the Big 12 admits was stopped one play short.
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