close
close

“Analysts sick over onside kick call in Michigan win over Minnesota”.

Michigan football did almost everything it could to blow a three-touchdown lead, but got some help from the referees late in the fourth quarter to hold off Minnesota 27-24 at Michigan Stadium on Saturday.

Minnesota linebacker Matt Kingsbury was ruled offside for the onside kick, which the Golden Gophers recovered at the Wolverines' 38-yard line with 1:36 left, trailing 27-24. Kingsbury recovered the kick after it bounced past Michigan's coverage team.

“I’m feeling really bad right now,” Fox analyst Chris Petersen, the former longtime head coach of Boise State and Washington, said after the game. “I just hate to see the officials make things up. Like I don't know why they would fly that flag. For me these are always close decisions, the ball has been kicked. It's not a monster… whatever.” We'll do it, let the children play.

“We would always say: With one move you never lose the game, with one move you can win the game, but when it comes down to an official's decision? Do you know how hard it is to do an onsides kick? …And then they got it, they made it perfect, and then it gets taken away? I don’t like it at all, it’s so frustrating, that’s why I’m not training right now.”

Mike Pereira, Fox's rules analyst, disputed the call in real time on the broadcast. It was “terribly close,” he said.

“I don’t think he’s offside. … I don’t think he breaks the plane,” Pereira said. The piece cannot be reviewed.

Tyler Morris, a senior receiver on the Wolverines' hands team who was on hand for both onside kick attempts, said it was a “relief” when he noticed the referee's offside call.

“The restoration definitely brought up a lot of emotions,” Morris said. “We knew we had to hold on again and just hope our defense could stop them from not even making the field goal. And when we realized they were offside, it was definitely a big relief.”

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *