Driving late in the second half, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow targeted tight end Thaddeus Moss near the pylon.
The ball looked to be high and outside, but Moss (yes, his dad is Randy) somehow managed to haul it in, and the call on the field was a reception. Upon replay, though, Moss had clearly stepped out of bounds, meaning this looked like a clear incompletion. CBS’s pylon cam has never been more useful, either, as the toe touch in question was directly in front of the lens.
Thaddeus Moss did Randy proud with this grab, WHAT A CATCH! pic.twitter.com/eVf42EypNA
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 9, 2019
Pylon Cam, always and forever. pic.twitter.com/3hUydldf0j
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 9, 2019
The play went to review, and after some initial confusion from CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore, the booth’s consensus was that the call on the field should be overturned as Moss had stepped out of bounds. It came as a surprise to both the broadcasters and the massive crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium when the call not only stood, but was confirmed, presumably thanks in large part to that pylon shot that showed Moss did indeed have his toes back in bounds.
As to that initial step out of bounds, the only real possibility is that Moss was ruled to have been forced out of bounds, pursuant to the relevant rule:
No eligible offensive receiver who goes out of bounds and returns in bounds during a down shall touch a legal forward pass in the field of play or end zones or while airborne until it has been touched by an opponent or official. (A.R. 7-3-4:I-II and IV) [Exception: This does not apply to an originally eligible offensive player who immediately returns inbounds after going out of bounds due to contact by an opponent (A.R. 7-3-4:III)]. If he touches the pass before returning in bounds, it is an incomplete pass (Rule 7-3-7) and not a foul for illegal touching.
