Rich Eisen did not approve of the review process, or lack thereof, after Oregon scored a touchdown in Saturday’s game against Eisen’s alma mater, Michigan.
The Ducks scored on their first offensive possession, covering 63 yards in 12 plays. The final two yards came on a touchdown pass from Dillon Gabriel to Evan Stewart. Only, the touchdown should not have counted.
The look viewers initially saw didn’t indicate that there was anything wrong. It looked like nothing more than a great pass by Gabriel, who got the ball to Stewart despite strong coverage from Michigan’s Aamir Hall.
The Ducks strike first at The Big House 💥
Dillon Gabriel connects to Evan Stewart for an @oregonfootball TD ‼️#B1GFootball on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/lvZBtJDGtK
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 2, 2024
A look at the play from another angle showed something entirely different. Stewart dropped the ball.
How did the official miss this call? No review so Oregon gets the TD pic.twitter.com/LT9tU9qc5N
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) November 2, 2024
As such, Oregon should have faced a fourth-and-goal.
But while all scoring plays are reviewed, there was no significant delay between the touchdown and extra point. So, it’s safe to say the score was rubber-stamped.
Viewers also didn’t see a replay showing that Stewart dropped the ball until after the extra point was kicked. By that point, as announcers Gary Danielson and Brad Nessler said, it was “too late.”
Eisen was not happy about the sequence and voiced his frustration.
“Oregon scores a TD,” Eisen said on X, formerly Twitter. “CBS shows a replay of the ball being dropped. But not until after the extra point. Oh and the B1G ref who called it a TD was looking right at it. ‘Too late now’ says Gary Danielson. Come on, everybody.”
Oregon scores a TD
CBS shows a replay of the ball being dropped.
But not until after the extra point.
Oh and the B1G ref who called it a TD was looking right at it.
“Too late now” says Gary Danielson.
Come on, everybody. pic.twitter.com/8UifwohfHY
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) November 2, 2024
Did the call impact the game? Probably not. It happened early enough that there’s room to speculate on what might have happened had the call gone differently. But Oregon won the game 38-17. And even if that touchdown had not stood, there’s nothing saying the Ducks wouldn’t have scored on the following play.
That said, it doesn’t weaken Eisen’s point. Heck, his point would be valid even if the play came in the final minutes of a blowout. This goes beyond whatever bias Eisen might have being a Michigan fan. That ball was not caught. Those are the exact types of plays that the review process is meant to get right.
[Rich Eisen on X]
