The Miami Hurricanes pulled off an incredible kickoff return which included eight laterals to score a last-second touchdown to upset the Duke Blue Devils 30-27.
It was exciting to watch...but it should not have counted.
Upon our review of the play, the officials missed one of the Hurricanes touching the ground with their knee as they were being brought down while still holding the ball.
On the play, Miami RB Mark Walton received the third lateral in the sequence at the 15-yard line. After sprinting past a few Duke tacklers, Walton was brought down from behind at the 25-yard line by Alonzo Saxton II. Walton managed to lateral the ball to a teammate, but not before his knee hit the ground.
We took this snapshot at the 27-second mark of the video. It clearly shows that Walton's knee touching the ground before he throws the next lateral. The picture also shows an official that appears to have a clear view of the play.
The play should have been whistled dead and the game should have ended right there, with Duke winning 27-24. Instead, the play continued, and Corn Elder took the eighth lateral, found some blockers and ran 75 yards to the end zone for the touchdown.
Interestingly enough, the play was reviewed...but not to check if Walton's knee was down. A penalty was thrown on Walton for an illegal block in the back of Breon Borders at the Duke 25-yard line. However, the review determined that the block by Walton hit Borders on the side, not his back. The penalty was waived and the touchdown stood.
Instant replay is supposed to fix missed calls, but everyone on the field missed this one. The bottom line: Duke got the short end of the stick on this one.
H/T NYDN.
It was exciting to watch...but it should not have counted.
Upon our review of the play, the officials missed one of the Hurricanes touching the ground with their knee as they were being brought down while still holding the ball.
On the play, Miami RB Mark Walton received the third lateral in the sequence at the 15-yard line. After sprinting past a few Duke tacklers, Walton was brought down from behind at the 25-yard line by Alonzo Saxton II. Walton managed to lateral the ball to a teammate, but not before his knee hit the ground.
We took this snapshot at the 27-second mark of the video. It clearly shows that Walton's knee touching the ground before he throws the next lateral. The picture also shows an official that appears to have a clear view of the play.
The play should have been whistled dead and the game should have ended right there, with Duke winning 27-24. Instead, the play continued, and Corn Elder took the eighth lateral, found some blockers and ran 75 yards to the end zone for the touchdown.
Interestingly enough, the play was reviewed...but not to check if Walton's knee was down. A penalty was thrown on Walton for an illegal block in the back of Breon Borders at the Duke 25-yard line. However, the review determined that the block by Walton hit Borders on the side, not his back. The penalty was waived and the touchdown stood.
Instant replay is supposed to fix missed calls, but everyone on the field missed this one. The bottom line: Duke got the short end of the stick on this one.
H/T NYDN.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
