Wildcats get homefield advantage in referee-clock gaffe at end of half vs. No. 10 USC

It was a wild and controversial ending to the first half between the Arizona Wildcats and No. 10 USC Trojans in Tucson on Saturday.

With USC leading 17-13 and driving inside the red zone in hopes of extending its lead, the Trojans looked to be positioning themselves to do just that with the clock winding down.

However, after getting to Arizona’s 9-yard line on a first down, the clock began to run down prematurely before ultimately hitting 0:00 prior to USC getting a play off.

Per college football rules, the clock stops on all first downs and doesn’t start up again until the referee sets the ball — which appears to have never happened in this case.

You can be the judge of how the Pac-12 officiating crew handled this one:

Here’s the end of the first half of USC-Arizona: pic.twitter.com/ewQ3bRhAgl

— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) October 30, 2022

Safe to say USC head coach Lincoln Riley was not happy about the play despite taking a 17-13 lead into halftime.

Lincoln Riley letting him HAVE it #USC pic.twitter.com/fmFqgZmeci

— Chris Treviño (@ChrisNTrevino) October 30, 2022

The Wildcats were leading the Trojans at one point in the ballgame.

After going down 3-0, Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura hit wide receiver Dorian Singer on a 23-yard touchdown pass that required this one-handed grab:

DORIAN SINGER 😱

📺 Pac-12 Network
📱 https://t.co/dDjucC7fCU#Pac12FB | @ArizonaFBall pic.twitter.com/a7d3Kx5jfr

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) October 29, 2022

USC went on to beat Arizona, 45-37.

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