Remember, it’s Week 1 for the referees in college football as well.
The officials in this afternoon’s Penn State-West Virginia game in Morgantown had a major screwup in the final minutes of the first half on a 4th-and-short attempt by the Mountaineers.
On 4th-and-1 from just inside the Penn State 30-yard line, West Virginia’s CJ Donaldson appeared to be stopped clearly short of the line to gain.
However, the officials ruled it a first down, and the call was confirmed via replay.
After review, the first down is confirmed 👉
Do you agree with the call? pic.twitter.com/ELuabxFcCM
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 31, 2024
As you can see, we’re not quite sure what the refs saw. Donaldson didn’t come close to the 29-yard line, where he needed to get.
The mistake resulted in a field goal for WVU, trimming the Penn State lead to 13-6. However, it appeared that the officials gave the Nittany Lions one back on the ensuing possession.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
On Penn State’s final drive of the first half, quarterback Drew Allar looked deep to wide receiver Omari Evans, who came back to make a contested catch for a 55-yard gain.
As it turns out, Evans was able to get some needed space by pushing off on a Mountaineer defender.
“That’s a miss right there.”
Joel Klatt thinks Penn State got away with one here ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MeJ4p0NUHe
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 31, 2024
Allar connected with Trey Wallace for a touchdown on the next play, their second scoring hookup of the first half. Wallace has five receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
Penn State leads West Virginia 20-6 on FOX.
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