Big 12 confirms 7-yard error in BYU win over Arizona State
The conference admitted replay wrongly awarded a touchdown to the Cougars in their 27-20 victory on Saturday.
By Dominic Foster ·
The Big 12 Conference acknowledged a scoring error in No. 8 BYU’s 27-20 victory over Arizona State on Saturday. The conference stated that replay incorrectly gave the Cougars a first-quarter touchdown. Officials should have stopped the play at the 2-yard line instead of awarding the score.
The sequence began on BYU’s opening drive. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier ran up the middle on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line. He fumbled the ball, which was recovered by running back Sione Moa. Moa ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. The Big 12 cited Rule 12-3-3-d-2, which dictates the ball belongs to the recovering team at the spot of recovery if the ball is not dead.
The initial whistle blew with Bachmeier down at the 1-yard line. After a review, officials determined Bachmeier fumbled and BYU recovered at the 1-yard line. A second review by the replay operations center in Irving, Texas, overturned that ruling. The center concluded the play resulted in a touchdown. The Big 12 said the correct ruling would have been BYU ball for third-and-goal from the 2-yard line.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham challenged the decision. He noted that Bachmeier had the right to recover the fumble after the whistle but lacked a clear advancement. Dillingham said the ball should have been at the 3-yard line. He added that the error was not the on-field officials’ fault but a decision made by the replay center.
This is the third straight week with questionable officiating in a BYU game. In a 28-24 win over Notre Dame on Oct. 17, the Big 12 said one more second should have been added to the clock. That would have allowed Notre Dame a final play to win. The previous Saturday, BYU lost 39-31 in double overtime at UCF. Officials triggered a 10-second runoff because kicker Will Stone’s helmet came off during a blocked field goal attempt.
The correction of the score does not change the final result of the Saturday game. BYU maintained its lead throughout the contest. The conference’s admission confirms the mechanical nature of the replay error. The team continues its season with the same win-loss record as before the review.
