MAC Official Who Called Oklahoma State Game Admits Error, Cowboys Could Challenge

Remember the Texas game! No really, remember the Texas game in 2012 when Oklahoma State unsuccessfully challenged the play at the end of the game at Boone Pickens Stadium where Texas sort of fumbled and was called a TD? Then remember the sort-of apology it got from the Big 12 Conference? It feels like that’s where all of this is headed.

Oklahoma State lost on an untimed play that it sounds like never should have been run on Saturday. Even the MAC official who worked the game (!1) confirmed this to Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman.

“There’s a rule that says the game cannot end on an accepted live ball foul,” said MAC referee Tim O’Dey after the game. “There’s an exception to the rule that says if enforcement of the foul involves a loss of down, then that brings the game to an end. So in that situation, we’ve had the opportunity to run it back through our hierarchy, which includes the national rules editor, and he confirmed that should have been a loss of down and the end of the game at that point, so that extension should not have happened.

“The accepted live ball foul will extend any period, unless there is an exception that applies to that and there’s an exception which applies to a loss of down foul, which intentional grounding is a loss of down foul. If the penalty statement includes the statement ‘loss of down’ then the game ends on that play.”

Here’s the exchange from there on out …

Q: It was a loss of down. I think you announced it as a loss of down, even.

A: (no verbal answer, but nods head yes)

Q: Okay.

Q: So what you’re saying is that the game should have ended and it should not have been Central Michigan’s ball, just to be clear.

A: That is the interpretation from the rules editor – the national rules editor, yes.

Q: Who is the national rules editor?

A: Rogers Redding.

Q: What’s the next step?

A: I’m not at liberty to make any further statement as far as that. That falls outside of my jurisdiction.

WOW!

So we have ourselves a little situation, and Oklahoma State knows it. The official who called the game said he screwed it up! According to Carson Cunningham, OSU officials were already on the phone with the Big 12 Conference directly after the end of the game on Saturday.

#Okstate representatives are on the phone with the Big 12 regarding the end of the game.

— Carson Cunningham (@KOCOCarson) September 10, 2016

So this should be interesting. This feels a little different than a variety of other appeals to the NCAA and/or Big 12 because in this situation a play was literally added to the end of the game that literally should not have been added to the end game. You can’t go into the middle of a game and remove one of the plays. But can you take one off that never should have been tacked on?

Apparently it could come down to what CMU (???) decides.

How @BerryTramel explains it, from his understanding: #OKstate can appeal to CMU to reverse the outcome. Decision would be in their hands.

— Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) September 10, 2016