If you missed the end of last night's game between the Miami Hurricanes and Duke Blue Devils, you missed one of the most incredible endings in college football history.
Unfortunately, none of it should have counted.
Today, the ACC took steps towards trying to rectify the multiple and egregious errors made by the officiating crew in Durham by suspending the entire on-field crew – plus the replay officials – for the next two weeks.
According to the conference's release this afternoon, here are the errors the zebras made during the game's final play:
- The replay official erred in not overturning the ruling on the field that the Miami player had released the ball prior to his knee being down. If called, this would have ended the game.
- The on-field officials erred by failing to penalize Miami for an illegal block in the back at the Miami 16-yard line. If called, the ball would have been placed at the Miami 8-yard line and the game would have been extended for an untimed down.
- A block in the back foul was called at the Duke 26-yard line. After the officials conferred, which is appropriate, they correctly determined that the block was from the side, which resulted in the flag being picked up. The replay official was not involved in the decision to pick up the flag; however, the referee did not effectively manage communication and properly explain why the flag was picked up.
- In addition, the on-field crew failed to penalize a Miami player for leaving the bench area and entering the field prior to the end of the play. This foul would not have negated the touchdown because it would have been enforced as a dead ball foul.
Unfortunately, the suspensions won't change the outcome the game and certainly don't offer any real solace for David Cutfcliffe's team.
Let's check in on the Hurricanes, who if you recall were stomped 58-0 a week ago at home by Clemson, to see if they're taking this gift humbly.
\_()_/
— Miami Hurricanes (@MiamiHurricanes) November 1, 2015
#Nope
Source: @theACC
