The Big Ten Conference released a statement regarding the officiating from Saturday’s Ohio State Buckeyes-Nebraska Cornhuskers football game. Several calls generated controversy, as Nebraska could not pull out the victory. Ohio State ended up winning by a 21-17 margin, continuing its strong season.
One of the missed calls involved a spot. Running back Emmett Johnson appeared to get a first down towards the end of the first half. However, the ball was spotted a bit behind the first down marker. This seemed to confuse the Huskers, who ended up draining several seconds off the clock as a result of the confusion.
The Big Ten admitted that the call was incorrect on Monday, per a statement they released.
“During Nebraska’s final drive of the first half, on second down with two yards to gain on the Ohio State 39-yard line, the ball was incorrectly spotted after a run by Cornhuskers RB [Emmett] Johnson. The ball carrier crossed the 37-yard line, and a first down should have been awarded to Nebraska. “Replay should have stopped the game to review the spot since it involved the line-to-gain.”
Nebraska will look to turn the page as they take on the UCLA Bruins this Saturday. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to wonder how the game could have changed if the call had been correct.
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