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For the third straight week, a BYU football game has been at the center of an officiating controversy, and this time the Big 12 has publicly acknowledged that a mistake was made. The conference admitted that replay officials incorrectly awarded the No. 8 Cougars a first-quarter touchdown in their 27-20 win over Arizona State on Saturday.
The controversial play occurred on BYU's opening possession. Facing second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, quarterback Bear Bachmeier fumbled while running up the middle. Running back Sione Moa then picked up the loose ball and ran it into the end zone, according to ESPN's Max Olson. Initially, officials blew the play dead and ruled that Bachmeier was stopped short of the goal line. After a review, they determined that he had fumbled and that BYU had recovered. A second review by the Big 12's replay operations center in Irving, Texas, then overturned the call to a touchdown.
However, according to the rulebook, any advance after a fumble recovery in that situation is nullified. The Big 12 issued a statement after the game acknowledging the error: “Replay was incorrect in awarding a score. The correct ruling should have been BYU ball for a third-and-goal from the 2-yard line.”
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Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham argued with officials at the time and expressed his frustration after the loss. “I was trying to argue that he does have the right to recover it post-whistle, but that's not a clear advancement, which means the ball should be at the 3,” Dillingham said, via ESPN. He made it clear that he did not blame the on-field officials. “Obviously, that wasn't what happened. It's not the officials' fault. Those officials don't have say in that. That's all back home,” Dillingham said.
BYU would have still had a chance to score from the 2-yard line, but in a game decided by seven points, Arizona State fans will surely wonder what could have been. The error is the latest in a series of officiating controversies involving BYU. After the Cougars' 28-24 win over Notre Dame on Oct. 17, the Big 12 said that one more second should have been put back on the clock, which would have given the Fighting Irish a chance at one final play. The following week, BYU lost 39-31 in double overtime at UCF. That game went to overtime after BYU blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt on third down. UCF kicker Will Stone recovered the ball and would have had a chance to try another game-winning kick, but officials ruled that Stone's helmet came off during the play, triggering a 10-second runoff that ended regulation.
Originally reported by yahoo.