Saturday night’s Notre Dame-BYU finish had all the ingredients for a classic - and then the officiating took over the conversation.
No. 2 Notre Dame and No.
8 BYU were locked into a primetime battle in Week 7, but the closing sequence turned messy fast. A missed defensive pass interference in the end zone came late, and the clock management at the end only added to the frustration.
On the final play, there was still one second left, which should have given the Fighting Irish one more chance at the end zone. Instead, the game was whistled dead, and social media went right after the officials.
Former NFL player Breiden Fehoko jumped into the pile with a pointed accusation about what he says happens behind the scenes.
“I won’t even be quiet about it no more,” Fehoko said. “When I played in the NFL, we all knew officials were rigging games certain ways.
It happens at the college ranks. Last year, when I put the NFL on blast about it, they threatened to pull my pension.
[F*ck] ’em. The world deserves to know.”
Fehoko’s claim about losing his pension pushed the remarks into even more explosive territory. He’s built a reputation as a loud presence online, so his comments come with that in mind, but the backlash around the ending was very real.
The Big 12, meanwhile, did acknowledge an officiating mistake. In its review of the final play, the conference said the clock should have shown one second remaining, which would have given Notre Dame one last snap.
“Following the Big 12’s review of the final play of Saturday’s Notre Dame-BYU game, it was determined that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground, and the play was incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew,” the statement read. “The Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games.”
It left an ugly mark on what had been an exciting game, a reminder that sometimes the final whistle becomes the story.
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BYU Win Over Notre Dame Just Sparked A Brutal New Debate
The aftermath of BYUs win over Notre Dame has quickly shifted from celebration to scrutiny, with the Big 12 acknowledging that the game clock should have shown one second remaining after an incomplete pass by Irish quarterback CJ Carr. Instead, the replay officiating crew cleared the play and the contest ended, leaving Notre Dame without the chance to run one more snap from BYUs 8-yard line.
Now the conference is set to conduct a full review of the end-of-game officiating process, which only adds to the frustration around a finish that already had people debating what should have happened next. For BYU, the result still stands for the moment, but the closing sequence has become the kind of replay controversy that can linger long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Notre Dame Win Just Took A Controversial Turn
BYUs 28-24 win over Notre Dame now comes with an awkward asterisk after the Big 12 acknowledged that the final sequence was handled incorrectly. According to the conference, there was still time left when Notre Dames last pass hit the ground, but the replay officiating crew cleared the play anyway, ending the game before the Fighting Irish could get another snap.
The admission doesnt change the result, but it does put the finish under a brighter spotlight than anyone in Provo expected. The Big 12 said it will review its end-of-game officiating procedures after the mistake, leaving a major win for the Cougars attached to a conference-wide replay issue that is sure to linger a while. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Notre Dame Win Now Comes With One Uncomfortable Question
BYUs win over Notre Dame still stands, but the finish has taken on a new layer of controversy after the Big 12 acknowledged officials got the final play wrong. The conference said one second should have remained on the clock, which would have given Notre Dame another snap, and added that the replay officiating crew incorrectly cleared the play while time was still left.
The result is a victory for the Cougars on the record, but it also leaves an uncomfortable question hanging over one of the biggest moments of the game. The Big 12 said it will conduct a full review of its end-of-game officiating process before upcoming games, a step that underscores how much scrutiny this finish has drawn. [Read more 🡒]