Officials protect their own like a group of mother lions surrounding their young, so it was no surprise Sunday when Big Ten officiating coordinator Bill Carollo maintained there was nothing wrong in both the ruling and the upholding of the controversial touchdown pass that allowed Nebraska to beat then-No. 7 Michigan State 39-38 on Saturday.
Officials ruled Brandon Reilly was knocked out of bounds by Michigan State’s Jermaine Edmondson before catching a 30-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Armstrong, and though the degree of difficulty can be debated “for the next 10 years,” Carollo said, ultimately, nothing can overturn the call on the field.
“When you’ve got 4.3 speed running down the sideline, it doesn’t take a whole lot to move you. It’s not one of those obvious ones that people will say he was pushed,” he told CBSSports. These defensive backs are very well coached and he was probably taught exactly that way. I wouldn’t say to coach these guys differently, but they know that’s the risk when you run down the sideline with them. ... He’s squeezing the sideline. That’s what the defensive back is supposed to do. He’s trying to get him out of bounds.”
And at that point, with the flag on the ground, the game was virtually over. “The only thing replay could have done to overturn to illegal touching is indisputable video evidence that showed no contact at all. We didn’t have that,” Carollo told ESPN. “Replay is not authorized to re-officiate the play. We’re comfortable with where we ended up.”