Big Ten makes officiating change following controversial onside kick penalty in Gophers' loss to Michigan
MINNEAPOLIS — The Big Ten Conference announced a change to the officiating process following Saturday's controversial onside kick penalty that allowed Michigan to seal a 27-24 victory over Minnesota.
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.
The Gophers re-kicked following the penalty and Michigan recovered, allowing the Wolverines to run out the clock.
During the FOX broadcast of Saturday's game, rules analyst Mike Pereira said he didn't think Kingsbury was offsides. The play was not reviewable and could not be challenged.
The Big Ten later admitted that there was an officiating mistake on the play, saying it was "too tight" to throw a flag in that situation.
The conference also confirmed in a statement that it had received immediate approval for an officiating alignment change on onside kicks. Now, the head line judge and line judge will need to be positioned on the 35-yard line of the kicking team — meaning there will be two views down the line.
It is uncertain if other leagues will be approved for the new alignment by the NCAA.
Before the change was announced, head coach P.J. Fleck on Monday briefly addressed the situation, confirming he spoke with Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti.
"It took 60-something 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.
Gophers fans react
Fans who watched the battle for the Little Brown Jug feel slighted, even days later.
"I don't think it was offsides or anything like that, so I think we got screwed out of that game," said Sim Pommering.
Some say they watched the play and believe it cost the Gophers the game, but are still confused about what happened.
"I really didn't know the rules to the onside kick," said Ben Raley.
But WCCO's Sports Director Mike Max does.
"As you're running down there is a line that you can't cross as the kicker approaches, because you got to stay even with the ball. So if you are ahead of that, they can call you for offsides," said Max.
Max says it's a call that's controversial for all who ref the game.
"It's just too tight and too hard to call. It's just impossible without a camera. So in general, what a referee would do is not call that, because it's too close to possibly make a decision on it, " Max said.
The change in protocol doesn't help the Gophers, but it could help others moving forward.
"So now what they want to do is, if they choose to, you can have two referees lined up, one on each side. So you are closer to the players as opposed to one. So now you've got half the field, they've got half the field and it should minimize a little bit the mistakes you made, but it's still that razor thin," Max said.
This mistake by referees does not keep the Gophers fanbase from being optimistic about this season.
"Time to get that first championship in 80 years back here. All starts now," said Raley.
Full statement on officiating change
"With 1:37 remaining in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game between Michigan and Minnesota, Minnesota attempted an onside kick and was flagged for an offside penalty. Offside infractions are not reviewable plays. The penalty was accepted and enforced before Minnesota's second onside kick attempt, recovered by Michigan.
"Effective immediately, the Big Ten has been approved by the NCAA to implement a modified officiating mechanic that will allow the conference to change the manner in which it officiates onside kicks by positioning the Line Judge and Head Line-Judge on the kicking team's restraining line, thereby putting multiple officials in the best position to consistently make the correct judgment."- Paul Kennedy, vice president of sports communications for the Big Ten Conference
Note: The featured video is from June 7, 2024.
