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Clemson was on the wrong end of a controversial call late in the first half against Texas on Saturday afternoon.
Facing a 21-7 deficit against Texas, Clemson intercepted a Quinn Ewers pass and appeared to return it for a touchdown to make it a 21-14 game. However, officials threw a flag for an illegal blindside block. The interception stood, but the penalty wiped away the score.
Here’s a replay of the INT and return:
And here’s a closer look at the penalty that was called:
The penalty proved to be costly for Clemson. The Tigers ultimately had to settle for a field goal on its ensuing drive, meaning the flag took 4 points off the board in the midst of their comeback effort.
The rules expert consulted on TNT’s broadcast of this game was in favor of the call, but he appears to be in the minority with that opinion. College football fans and media alike sounded off in the other direction, with many believing that Clemson deserved a pick-6 on the play.
Here’s some of the reaction to the controversial call:
To make matters worse for the Tigers, they ended up conceding a touchdown to the Longhorns on their next possession. That made it a 28-10 game going into the halftime break.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
