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Pac-12 Conference acknowledges officiating error

Nov 8, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO--The Pac-12 Conference has acknowledged an error by the officiating crew during Saturday’s game between Arizona State and Washington State, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott announced today.

During the second quarter of Saturday’s game, Washington State completed a fourth-down pass when the receiver’s forward progress appeared to have been stopped and short of a first down when a whistle blew the play dead.

The Line Judge indicated it was an inadvertent whistle. By the NCAA football playing rules (4-1-2-b-1), due to an inadvertent whistle, when the ball is in player possession, then the team in possession may elect to put the ball in play where declared dead or repeat the down. Washington State elected to repeat the down and subsequently scored a touchdown on the next play.

The Pac-12 has reviewed the play and has determined it should have been stopped at the point when the whistle blew as forward progress was stopped short of the first down. The ball should have been turned over to Arizona State on downs. As a result, the officiating crew erred in ruling this an inadvertent whistle and not officiating the initial whistle as the end of the play.

The entire officiating crew has been downgraded and the Line Judge has been suspended for the next game.

 

- www.pac-12.com -