A potential officiating error may have occurred at the end of the Notre Dame vs. BYU game, according to a October 17 report from BYU Cougars Wire. Social media posts suggest one second may have remained on the clock when the final pass fell incomplete, which would have given Notre Dame another play from the goal line.
The situation involves uncertainty regarding whether the clock shown on screen or in the stadium was the official game clock. If one second was indeed left, Notre Dame would have had another chance on 2nd-and-goal. While the ball hitting the ground stops the clock per the rule book, the game broadcast focused on a no-call on defensive pass interference rather than a clock discrepancy.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay commented on social media that there was indeed :01 on the bug clock when the pass hit the ground. McAulay stated that a replay should have been used to determine if the in-stadium clock was at :01 at that point, noting that if so, Notre Dame would have had one more play.
The event follows a previous situation involving Michigan vs. Western Michigan. The BYU victory over No. 2 Notre Dame resulted in a 28-24 score, an upset that has led to discussions regarding whether BYU should be ranked No. 1.
It remains to be seen if this one-second issue will be raised regarding the BYU win.
