Big 12 Admits Costly Error Denied Notre Dame Final Chance as ESPN, NBC Rules Experts Flag Controversial BYU Finish

BYU stunned Notre Dame in a 28-24 thriller yesterday, but the Fighting Irish may have had more than just a defeat to rue. A day later, the Big 12 admitted its replay officials made a costly error by ending the game with one second still on the clock, raising a painful question: could Notre Dame have stolen a late win?

The Big 12 acknowledged early Sunday that a costly officiating error had cut Notre Dame’s comeback hopes short, confirming that the Fighting Irish should have been given an opportunity to run one final play before the game was prematurely brought to an end.

“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 Conference will conduct a complete review of its end-of-game officiating process in advance of next week’s games,” the conference said in a statement.

Notre Dame needed just one touchdown to pull off a stunning late comeback, and the Fighting Irish gave it everything they had on the game’s final play. CJ Carr launched a deep pass towards Jade Greathouse in the end zone, but the receiver couldn’t bring it in as the ball fell harmlessly to the turf.

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After a brief discussion, the officials declared the game over, sending BYU fans into a frenzy as they stormed the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The officials appeared convinced that the clock had expired when the ball hit the turf in the end zone. However, questions remained over whether Notre Dame should have been given another second.

During a discussion with the Big 12 replay center, rules analyst Mike Pereira learned that the officials had reviewed and approved the decision to end the contest. Still, the explanation did little to settle the debate, as Pereira maintained that one second should have remained on the clock.

“I talked to the Big 12 center, they said replay did clear it, but it’s pretty obvious here there is a second left on the clock and there should’ve been another play for Notre Dame,” Pereira said at halftime of the Nebraska vs. Oregon game.

NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay also disagreed with the officials’ decision.

“There was indeed .01 on the bug clock when the pass hit the ground. Replay should have reviewed to determine if the in-stadium clock was at:01 at that point and if so, ND would have had one more play,” said McAulay.

The Fighting Irish endured a challenging battle against the Cougars, surrendering a 10-point halftime deficit before mounting an impressive second-half comeback. Trailing 21-10 at the break, Notre Dame fought its way back with two field goals in the third quarter before Notre Dame running back Jonas Walton found the end zone in the fourth. A successful two-point conversion completed the turnaround, putting the Fighting Irish ahead 24-21.

Despite Notre Dame’s comeback, BYU struck late as Bear Bachmeier connected with Walker Lyons for the go-ahead touchdown with just 1:47 remaining, giving the Cougars a 28-24 lead. Notre Dame entered Saturday’s clash ranked No. 2 nationally, but the defeat could significantly impact the Fighting Irish’s ranking next week.

Although questions surrounding the controversial final play remained, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was not asked about the clock after the game. He refrained from criticizing the officials over the missed call.

“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,” Freeman said.

“We made a call thinking they were possibly going to be in the last coverage they were in to play before,” Freeman said.

Controversy aside, Notre Dame must take a hard look at how they collapsed in their first matchup against a ranked opponent of the season. Now sitting at 6-1, the Fighting Irish face two more tough ranked opponents in the coming weeks. Unless they find answers to their problems, their hopes of making a playoff run could quickly fade.

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