Big Ten commissioner reviewing Gophers' onside kick penalty against Michigan, head coach says
MINNEAPOLIS — The Big Ten is reviewing Saturday's controversial onside kick penalty that allowed Michigan to seal a 27-24 victory over Minnesota.
Head Coach P.J. Fleck says he spoke to Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti and expected to hear back from the conference Monday afternoon.
Michigan led 24-3 going into the fourth quarter, but Minnesota scored three touchdowns to pull within 27-24 with 1:37 left. On the next play, the Gophers recovered the onside kick but were flagged for offsides. Linebacker Matt Kingsbury was called for the penalty.
During the FOX broadcast of Saturdays' game, Rules Analyst Mike Pereira said he didn't think Kingsbury was offsides. The play was not reviewable and could not be challenged.
The Gophers re-kicked following the penalty and Michigan recovered, allowing the Wolverines to run out the clock.
"It took sixtysomething plays on both sides of the ball to get to that last play," Fleck said. "Every play tells it's own story."
He went on to say that one play doesn't lose a game, but believes one play can win a game.
Fleck said the team has done a good job of handling Saturday's loss with class and learning from the game.
The Gophers host No. 11 USC on Saturday, Oct. 5. USC officially joined the Big Ten conference along with Oregon, UCLA and the University of Washington.
Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.