The Pac-12 has acknowledged that they committed an officiating error on the last play of the Michigan State-Arizona State game and MSU should have had one more opportunity to kick the game-tying field goal. Matt Coghlin initially made his first try, but it was negated by a penalty for twelve men on the field. His next attempt was no good, but an Arizona State player had leaped over the line of scrimmage, a violation that was not called on the field.
This just makes the loss sting twice as bad for me. I knew at the time that this was a blown call and they should’ve had one more chance at tying that game, but as Dantonio has pointed out, they should’ve never let the game get in that position in the first place.
Next time, the team just needs to take care of business, actually score touchdowns, and control the ball and, most importantly, leave the game’s outcome out of the hands of the referees and the potential for human error.
Here is the rule that was broken, per the Pac-12:
b. It is a foul if a defensive player moves forward and tries to block a kick or apparent kick on a field goal or try by leaving his feet and leaping into the plane directly above the frame of the body of an opponent. It is not a foul if the player was aligned in a stationary position within one yard of the line of scrimmage when the ball was snapped.
