College football had enough upsets and late finishes to fill the Week 7 highlight shows. But the officials supplied another talking point. For instance, LSU fans wanted a flag after a Mississippi State lineman appeared to grab Jordan Ross around the jersey and facemask as the Tigers’ edge rusher attacked the quarterback. There’s more!
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- Ohio State supporters questioned the lack of pass interference calls against Indiana.
- Nebraska’s touchdown against Oregon survived a replay review despite questions about whether Kwazi Gilmer got a foot down in the end zone.
- Florida State coach Mike Norvell was left fuming after two disputed decisions in a double-overtime loss to Miami.
- And Notre Dame’s defeat at BYU ended with a pass interference debate and a separate question about the game clock.
The bigger issue was what happens when a game-changing call leaves teams unconvinced, even after replay. There is little a coach can do once the final whistle blows, and a review does not always settle the argument. By then, the result is on the board, and there is no way to replay the moment.
LSU’s shutout win did not stop the officiating debate
LSU beat Mississippi State 31-0 at Tiger Stadium, controlling the game from start to finish. The margin was comfortable, but one disputed play still became a talking point after the final whistle.
Defensive end Jordan Ross appeared to beat Mississippi State’s left tackle and reach the quarterback, knocking the ball loose. As he made the play, the tackle appeared to hold his jersey and make contact around his facemask. No flag followed.
Former LSU national champion Breiden Fehoko shared footage of the play on X and questioned the officials’ decision. The criticism was direct: if the contact was illegal, why had the crew allowed it to go unpunished?
“I won’t even be quiet about it no more,” Fehoko wrote on X. “When I played in the NFL, we all knew officials were rigging games certain ways. It happens at the college ranks.
“Last year, when I put the NFL on blast about it, they threatened to pull my pension. F– em. The world deserves to know.”
The Tigers controlled the game on defense, and the final score made it hard to blame the result on that missed call. But the play still deserved scrutiny.
Defenders are told to fight through contact, while offensive linemen must be penalized when they grab a pass rusher illegally. The question was whether the same standard had been applied here.
Ohio State’s complaints came in a four-point escape
Ohio State had far more at stake in Bloomington. The fourth-ranked Buckeyes beat No. 5 Indiana 19-15, ending the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak. The close score gave several officiating complaints extra oxygen, particularly those involving Jeremiah Smith and the Buckeyes’ red-zone possessions.
Ohio State fans took issue with several plays involving Smith, arguing that Indiana’s defenders grabbed his jersey or made contact before the ball arrived. None of those plays brought a pass interference flag.
Matt Finkes, who played defensive end for the Buckeyes, voiced similar concerns on X, saying the contact looked no different from plays that officials often penalize in college football and the NFL.
“This is literally how PI has been called in college football and the NFL for the past 10 years,” Matt Finkes wrote, sharing the footage of an IU defender interfering with Smith as he lost the ball. “Now it’s not against 4 (Jeremiah Smith), I guess.”
The complaints went beyond the coverage of Smith. Ohio State fans also disputed the spot on a third-down run by Bo Jackson, which left the Buckeyes facing fourth-and-goal at the two-yard line.
Another point of frustration came on a sack of Julian Sayin. Some supporters felt an Indiana defender was holding, but the officials let the play stand.
Nebraska’s touchdown survived review against Oregon
Nebraska went into the break ahead 7-0 after a disputed score in the closing seconds of the first half against Oregon on October 17. Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea found receiver Kwazi Gilmer in the right corner of the end zone with four seconds left.
The officials signaled touchdown, and a replay review left the ruling intact. The debate centered on Gilmer’s feet. Viewers questioned whether his toes had touched the turf inside the boundary before he went out.
After looking at the replays, officials stuck with the touchdown, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the original call. The touchdown gave Nebraska a lead at a pivotal point in a game that had produced little offense.
Despite Oregon winning 17-14 at last, those controversial call questions have still lingered among the Ducks’ fans.
Notre Dame’s last chance at BYU brought two separate questions
Notre Dame looked to have the game within reach after erasing an 11-point halftime deficit against BYU. The Irish moved ahead 24-21 with 9:31 to play, but BYU took the lead back with a 10-play drive covering 55 yards.
The Cougars scored with 1:47 left, giving Notre Dame one last chance. The Irish reached the red zone on their final possession, setting up a tense finish in a 28-24 defeat. Irish’s last chance ended when C.J. Carr looked for Jaden Greathouse in the end zone.
BYU’s Evan Johnson made contact as the ball came in, and the pass hit the ground incomplete. Officials threw no flag for pass interference, ending the game and leaving Notre Dame with no time for another play.
ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin believed the officials had grounds to call pass interference. He said the defender made significant contact without making a play on the ball.
Terry McAulay, a former NFL referee who also works as a rules analyst, focused on the clock instead. He pointed out afterward that the stadium clock seemed to show one second left when Carr’s pass fell incomplete.
McAulay argued that replay officials should have checked the time and, if a second remained, allowed Notre Dame one more snap. Notre Dame’s poor start was still a big part of the defeat.
The late rally could not make up for the first three quarters, and another snap would not necessarily have changed the result. Still, one would argue that teams should get every chance the rules allow them. If the clock had a second left, the Irish deserved to run one more play.
Mike Norvell’s anger was about more than one call
Florida State’s 43-35 loss to Miami in double overtime turned on two late plays that left the Seminoles with plenty to argue about. Seminoles quarterback Ashton Daniels found Micahi Danzy for 36 yards on fourth-and-21, but a holding call wiped out the catch and the chance to move ahead.
Florida State got another opportunity, only for Daniels’ next pass toward Duce Robinson to be intercepted, ending the game in Miami’s favor. Florida head coach Mike Norvell made clear afterward that he disagreed with the officials on both plays.
Asked about the holding penalty, he urged reporters to review the film. He also argued that Duce Robinson should have been credited with a touchdown on the final play, saying the receiver and defender appeared to have possession of the ball at the same time.
Norvell added that Florida State had now been hurt by late calls from the same officiating crew in back-to-back seasons against Miami.
No one has accused college football officials of trying to hurt LSU, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon, or Florida State. But that is not really the issue. When a call decides a game, people want to know why it was made.
If officials leave those questions unanswered, fans have little reason to accept the decision and move on. The arguments over Week 7 will fade. The same complaints will return the next time a call goes against a team, especially if nobody in college football can explain it.