Thursday night’s clash between the Miami Hurricanes and Ole Miss Rebels will be remembered as the greatest College Football Playoff (CFP) game of the postseason thus far, and one of the best all-time.
However, it will also be remembered for controversy.
On the final play of the game, with the Rebels down 31-27 and only six seconds remaining on the clock, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw a pass to WR De’Zhaun Stribling in the left corner of the end zone. He was covered on the play by Miami DB Ethan O’Connor. But as the camera zoomed in at the end of the play, it could be clearly seen that O’Connor grabbed a handful of Stribling’s jersey and pulled him down.
At least, it looked clear to most.
No penalty flag was thrown on the play despite O’Connor pulling Stribling to the ground and using him as leverage to jump up to catch or knock the ball down.
Nor can it be said that the referee was not in a position to make the call. The video clearly shows an official at the goal line in a perfect position to make the call. Yes, there is some precedent for referees allowing more physicality on Hail Mary plays at the end of games. However, the contact between O’Connor and Stribling clearly exceeds the usual pushing and shoving on Hail Mary plays.
In fact, O’Connor literally pulls Stribling to the ground.
Also, the play was not technically a Hail Mary. Chambliss drove the Rebels down the field with two clutch throws with only 18 seconds left in the game. Had the penalty flag been thrown, it would have moved Ole Miss 15 yards closer and given them an untimed down.
Adding to the embarrassment, ESPN CFB rules analyst Bill LeMonnier doubled down on the insanity by backing up the officials, claiming that both players were essentially jockeying for positioning and that neither player gained an advantage because of the contact.
Which, as the video clearly shows, is not true. O’Connor used Stribling as leverage to jump for the ball, causing the receiver to fall to the ground.
The game was incredible, and Miami played well enough to win, which they did, 31-27. However, Ole Miss played just as well and should have, by rule, had another shot. In any event, regardless of the outcome, the game was too good to have ended on such an egregious missed call.