When is a safety not really a safety? Right here, unfortunately
Nov 6, 2013, 5:43 PM | Updated: 5:43 pm
Every now and then a referee makes a call that everyone knows is incorrect.
Team allegiances, biases, gambling interests, etc. do not matter. No one who saw what happened can possibly claim the ruling was right without losing all semblance of credibility.
Tuesday night, as Ohio battled Buffalo, one such call was made.
With Ohio trailing 7-3 early in the third quarter, quarterback Tyler Tettleton dropped back to pass and faced a heavy pass rush. He attempted to throw the ball away from about the 4-yard line, but did not leave the tackle box and the ball never reached the line of scrimmage, so a penalty flag was thrown for intentional grounding. That was a correct call.
However, the referee tacking on a safety because, as he thought, the quarterback was in the end zone when he threw the ball, was incorrect. Very, very incorrect.
And to make matters worse, the official said the spot of the ball could not be challenged, so the safety that in no way was a safety will go down in the record books as, you guessed it, a safety.
By the way, Ohio lost the game by a score of 30-3.
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