Maryland Terrapins junior running back Roman Hemby scored a 75-yard touchdown with help from a referee that accidentally blocked a would-be tackler during Saturday's Big Ten Conference football game against Indiana.
It happened about halfway through the third quarter right after Indiana scored to take a 21-14 lead. After a touchback on the Indiana kickoff, Maryland started their drive with 1st and 10 on their own 25-yard line. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. handed off to Hemby, who ran up the middle and broke through the line. The umpire was standing flat-footed on the 33-yard line and was a bit late in realizing he should get out of the way. Unfortunately, Indiana defensive back D'Angelo Ponds was changing direction towards Hemby in an attempt to make a tackle and ran right into the umpire, who was in perfect position to block Ponds from getting near Hemby, who had a clear path to the end zone after that.
ROMAN HEMBY 75-YARD TD!!!! 💥 @TerpsFootball pic.twitter.com/rswW469gkx
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 28, 2024
The referee went down after the collision. We hope he is OK. From our vantage point, it is likely that Ponds would not have been able to make the tackle on Hemby anyway, but the official was in perfect position to make that block.
We have seen some unfortunate collisions between football players and referees over the years. The officials have to be on their toes to avoid being hit by a player or by the ball.
Hemby finished the game with 117 yards rushing (and that 75-yard TD) along with 43 yards receiving and a 12-yard TD reception. However, it wasn't enough as Indiana broke away to win the game 42-28 and remain undefeated at 5-0. It is the first time Indiana has started their season 5-0 in 47 years.
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.
