BYU walked off with a win over Notre Dame in Provo, and the finish is already drawing plenty of attention for all the wrong reasons.
The Cougars took advantage of a late chance after Notre Dame had surged back with 14 straight second-half points. BYU answered with a touchdown in the closing minutes to go ahead by four with under two minutes left, setting up one final desperate series for the Fighting Irish.
CJ Carr got Notre Dame all the way to the goal line, giving the Irish one last shot to steal it. On the final snap, Carr fired a fade toward Jaden Greathouse, but the pass sailed incomplete over his head.
The problem, as many watching saw it, was everything around the throw. Greathouse appeared to get tangled up with BYU defender Omar Thornton on the play, but no flag came out for pass interference. That no-call became the defining moment of the game.
Matt Austin, ESPN’s rules analyst, said on the broadcast that he believed a penalty should have been called.
"I think it warranted a flag," he said. "That'a lot of contact when you're not playing the ball, you're just playing the receiver.
A lot of contact, grabbing the arm. I would have supported a DPI."
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay also agreed that the play should have been flagged.
The final sequence may have had one more twist, too. Replay officials appeared to miss that there was still one second left on the clock when Carr’s pass hit the turf, which would have given Notre Dame another snap.
Since pass interference is not reviewable, the no-call stood and BYU’s win was locked in as soon as the officials let the play go.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman did not comment on the no-call.
The result gave Notre Dame its first loss of the season, while BYU stayed unbeaten.
In Other News...
Utah Gets A Huge Stage With Far More Than Hype At Stake
College GameDay is headed back to Utah, this time landing in Salt Lake City on Oct. 24 before the Utes host Houston at Rice-Eccles Stadium. It will be the shows second straight week in the state after last weeks stop in Provo, another sign of how much national attention the Big 12 race is drawing to this corner of the conference.
For Utah, the stage comes with plenty more than just the usual pregame buzz. The Utes enter the matchup unbeaten, Houston brings a strong record of its own, and both teams have a real say in the league picture. The crowd will be there for the atmosphere, but the game itself could carry far more weight than the broadcast lead-in. [Read more 🡒]
Utah's Perfect Start Suddenly Comes With A Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Utah is still perfect, but Saturdays 27-24 win over Colorado came with a jolt the Utes hadnt felt much this fall. The Buffaloes briefly moved in front late in the third quarter on Elliot Arnolds field goal, and Utah had to answer with key plays from quarterback Devon Dampier and receiver Braden Pegan to keep its unbeaten season intact at 6-0.
Even with the comeback, head coach Morgan Scalley had enough to nitpick afterward, and that is part of what makes this stretch so interesting for Utah. The Utes found a way to survive in a tight game, but the performance left open questions about how cleanly theyre finishing drives and how sustainable the offense will look if the margins get even thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Escaped Colorado With A Bigger Concern Still Looming
Utah left Boulder with a 27-24 win over Colorado, and for most of the afternoon the Utes had to squeeze every bit of production out of an offense that found its rhythm only in spurts. Devon Dampier threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, and Creed Whittemore came through with the kind of catches that kept drives alive and helped Utah keep pace in a game that stayed tight into the final minutes.
The defense then did its part in the fourth quarter, making the timely stops Utah needed to survive Colorados push and bring the trip to a close with a victory. Even so, the escape came with a reminder that the Utes are still searching for cleaner finishes, because a game that was there to be controlled instead had to be saved late. [Read more 🡒]