Pac-12 Reprimands UCLA's Mora

SAN FRANCISCO -- UCLA Head Coach Jim Mora has been reprimanded by the Pac-12 Conference for public comments made about the Conference's football officiating program, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today.

Mora made the comments during his interview on UCLA’s postgame radio show that called into question the officiating during UCLA’s game with Arizona Saturday night.

One of the plays in question came with 3:13 remaining in the first quarter. Arizona attempted a pass on second and six at their own 22-yard line when an Arizona offensive lineman was initially flagged for being an ineligible receiver downfield. The flag was picked up when it was determined that the Arizona quarterback was out of the pocket and legally threw the ball away out of bounds. Per the CCA Officiating Manual (Page 28: Other Passing Situations - 9), “If the passer is legally throwing the ball away and it lands near or beyond the sideline, do not penalize the offense for having ineligible players downfield.”  Similarly, “Offensive pass interference for blocking downfield will not be called if the passer is legally grounding the ball out of bounds, near or beyond the sideline.” (Page 27: Not Offensive Pass Interference - 1). The correct ruling on this play was confirmed by the NCAA.