Potato Bowl referee deals Utah State -1.5 bettors a long, painful, agonizing defeat

Late in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Utah State (-1.5) held a 23-17 lead. The game was coming down to the wire, just the finish you might expect in a bowl as prestigious and tradition-rich as this one.

Ohio drove down the field with less than 1 minute left and moved inside the 20-yard line. Then, on a 4th-and-6 play, Bobcats quarterback Tyler Tettleton dropped back to pass and found Lavon Brazill over the middle. Brazil caught the pass at the 3-yard line, then dove forward toward the end zone.  The officials ruled the play a touchdown. Ohio’s players celebrated.

But wait, was it a touchdown? Replays seemed to suggest otherwise. Also, Brazill fumbled the ball short of the end zone and then recovered it.

After moments of confusion, which proved to be a sign of things to come, head referee Penn Wagers came out to clear everything up by offering a detailed explanation. For what it’s worth, ESPN analyst Mike Bellotti seemed fairly confident that Brazil did not cross the goal line, and that the ball would be placed at the “three-inch mark.” How Bellotti could be so precise, I have no idea, but he seemed fairly adamant.

“The ruling on the field is a completed catch,” Wagers said. “It was fourth down. The player who caught the pass fumbled in the end zone. By rule, he is the only one who can get the ball. By rule, we’ll have to place the ball back at the half-yard line where he fumbled.”

Then, there was an awkward pause.

“The previous play is under review,” Wagers said.

Moments later, Wagers returned. (BTB note: Funny that his name is WAGERS, isn’t it?)

“After further review, the ruling on the field is confirmed,” he said.

OK, so the initial ruling has been confirmed. That means the ball should be placed at the half-yard line and Ohio will have the ball 1st-and-goal with 37 seconds remaining. But if that’s the case, why are Ohio players still celebrating a touchdown? The refs seemed utterly confused about this, and soon enough, they huddled up at the middle of the field as players stood around.

“This is mass chaos!” ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Flemming said. Bellotti, who had a firm handle on the situation, continued to maintain his position that the ball should be placed at precisely the three-inch mark. The touchdown should not count, he said, because the ground can’t cause a fumble. I’m fairly certain he repeated this 43 more times just to hammer home the point.

“There is a correction on the play,” Wagers said. “The receiver who recovered the ball, I mean fumbled the ball, into the end zone, was the player who ended up getting the ball in the end zone. Therefore, it is a touchdown!”

So, that was that. The play that was originally a touchdown, then not a touchdown, then definitely not a touchdown, is now a touchdown again. Like, for real this time.

“I don’t understand that at all,” Flemming said.

“If the ground can’t cause a fumble,” Bellotti said, “then that’s a mistake.”

Nonetheless, Ohio now had a chance to take the lead with an extra point.

Of course, as the Bobcats began to line up for the attempt, Wagers and another official started sprinting toward the opposite end of the field. They ran their first 40 yards at about a 7-second pace, then continued ahead for another 10 or 15 yards. Wagers put the head set on and started taking instructions from the replay booth.

Meanwhile, we waited. And waited. And waited.

ESPN showed multiple replay angles, providing Bellotti with yet another opportunity to state his belief that the ball should be placed at the three-inch line. About a minute later, Wagers took off the head set and began yet another 60-yard march toward the opposite end of the field to explain the final, final, final ruling.

“After further review, replay has reviewed that the boy who caught the pass was down at the six-inch line prior to fumbling the ball,” Wagers said. “That is the ruling. The ball will be placed at the six-inch line. FIRST DOWN!”

* * *

From there, it took Ohio two plays to punch the ball into the end zone. They won the game 24-23 and covered the spread as Utah State bettors channeled their frustrations not toward the Aggies — but toward the idiot ref who reviewed the same play not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, but five times.

By the way, I think Wagers got the spot of the ball wrong.

Brazil was clearly down at the 8-inch mark.