When two rivals come together, fans from both sides of the aisle do not want the story to become about the officials.
Yet, that is exactly what happened in the game between the No. 1 team in the country, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were taking on the No. 15-ranked Michigan Wolverines.
After the Wolverines took an early 6-0 lead, one of their best defensive players, Jaishawn Barham, made contact with his helmet to the face of an official. He was called for unsportsmanlike conduct but did not get ejected.
Now, some have questioned why he was not ejected. It is important to note that it is the official’s discretion whether to eject the player or not.
While it did not seem egregious, it is easy to understand why many feel that he deserved more than only what resulted in a three-yard penalty.
Also, due to the intensity of said rivalry, officials may have been more lenient. With that being said, the NCAA will likely suspend him.
Later in the first half, the officials made an even worse call. On a 4th-and-five, Julian Sayin found Jeremiah Smith for what was called a touchdown.
Since the play resulted in a touchdown, it was subject to review, and according to referee Kole Knueppel, the call was “upheld.” Not sure what was looked at, as it was clear that Smith lost control of the football short of the goal line and was not able to reestablish possession until he and the football were in the end zone, yet had stepped out.
By rule, this was a touchback.
Does that call change anything? Absolutely.
Michigan gets the ball with decent field position at the 35 and the possibility to extend their three-point lead. Would it have changed the result of the game? Not likely.
As a result, fans are talking about the officials. For those who have yet to see what happened, here is the video of it.