Miami's Lateral Play on Touchdown Kick Return Should Not Have Stood After Review, Duke Coach 'Hurt Badly for Players'
ByThe Miami Hurricanes' miraculous, game-winning kick return touchdown should not have happened, but there is likely nothing the losing team, Duke, can do about it.
According to ESPN, Duke Blue Devils coach David Cutcliffe told reporters on a teleconference the NCAA "should be" able to reverse the final decision of the game.
"Unfortunately there is no mechanism that I know of in place to reverse an outcome of a game. I do believe there should be," he said. "If we're going to use instant replay... All this occurred after everything had happened on the field. What instant replay is in place for is to get it right, and we did not get it right. I'm venting a little bit still. I hurt badly for our players."
The ACC announced on Sunday the officiating and replay crew would be suspended for two conference games due to multiple oversights at the end of the game. The ACC determined the officials missed plays on the field that would have ended the game and given Duke the win and then failed to correct those errors when reviewing the replay.
With the above video for reference, here are the plays the ACC pinpointed, per their press release.
(1:03 in the video): The replay crew should have ruled the player down before releasing the lateral, negating the rest of the play.
(1:14): A missed illegal block in the back call would have put the ball on the eight-yard line and Miami would be given one offensive play with no time on the clock.
(1:27) Another missed block in the back was flagged, but then rightly picked up after the officials "conferred," the ACC stated. But, as the league put it, "the referee did not effectively manage communication and properly explain why the flag was picked up."
Lastly, the ACC noted that a Miami player on the bench entered the field while the play was still live, though this penalty would have been considered a "dead ball foul."
"The quality of our officiating program is of the highest importance to the league and its schools, and the last play of the game was not handled appropriately," ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in the release. "Officiating is an extraordinarily difficult job but our players, coaches, programs and fans deserve the best that can be offered. We will continue to strive to meet that standard."