A replay decision early in Saturday’s BYU vs. Arizona State game just flat-out baffled the experts, sparking immediate questions and a whole lot of frustration. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier fumbled the ball on second and goal from the Sun Devils’ one-yard line. Officials initially ruled the play dead, saying forward progress had stopped, and gave BYU the ball back at the one. Then came the review. A second look overturned everything, crediting Sione Moa with recovering the fumble and getting into the end zone for a BYU touchdown. Just like that, BYU was up 7-0, but the confusion was only beginning.
“Made Up Rules As They Go”
FOX Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, who was calling the game, did not hold back. Play-by-play announcer Connor Onion immediately asked Pereira if you can even advance a fumble in that situation, and what could have possibly changed the officials’ minds. Pereira was pretty clear. He said this is not like stepping out of bounds where you get continuing action. “This was a player that recovered the ball and got up in the field of play,” Pereira explained. He said the original ruling was the runner was down, meaning the play was dead. “You can give a recovery, but you can’t give an advance unless we’ve come up with a new rule here, which I’m not too sure that you can really do,” Pereira stated. That is pretty damning coming from a rules expert!
Griffin III was 100% on Pereira’s side, and he backed Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham’s clear frustration. “Mikey P is 100% correct,” Griffin declared. “Kenny Dillingham is justified in being frustrated about this situation because now this is three weeks in a row where we’ve had Big 12 officials just making up rules as they go.” Dillingham himself argued that the whistle had blown, which should have killed the play. Pereira even agreed with the coach, adding that while the timing of the whistle wasn’t his deciding factor, “Kenny is right. You can forget about when the whistle happened. They killed the play in the field of play, and the ball was out.”
Another Week, Another Head-Scratcher
This isn’t an isolated incident either. Pereira noted this sequence is part of a pattern he has observed with Big 12 referees in recent weeks. “This is getting kind of frustrating week to week,” Pereira admitted. “We shouldn’t have these situations.” When rules analysts and former players are calling out the officiating as “making up rules” for three weeks straight, and coaches are visibly frustrated over calls that impact the scoreboard, it really makes you wonder what is going on. It is a tough look for the league when the basic application of replay rules gets turned into a guessing game. Fans deserve consistency, and right now, the Big 12 isn’t delivering on that front.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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