The Ohio State Buckeyes claimed a 28-14 victory over the Texas Longhorns in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Friday night, but their win was marred by a glaring missed call from the referees.
The controversy arose during Ohio State’s final offensive touchdown drive, which gave them a 21-14 lead in the fourth quarter. A crucial third-down conversion kept the Buckeyes’ drive alive, but the officials failed to call a blatant penalty on Ohio State that should have negated the play.
On the critical play, Texas defensive end Colin Simmons executed a swift move to the outside, beating Ohio State right tackle Josh Fryar. In an attempt to protect quarterback Will Howard, Fryar grabbed Simmons’ jersey and held him from behind in a pretty clear holding penalty.
Refs miss a hold on the Ohio State O-Line. pic.twitter.com/L1y6tGkShT
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) January 11, 2025
The clear hold, which went uncalled, should have resulted in a five-yard penalty against Ohio State. Had the flag been thrown, the Buckeyes’ drive likely would have stalled, preventing the go-ahead touchdown.
Instead, the missed call allowed Ohio State to secure the first down and continue advancing, ultimately capping the drive with a decisive score.
Following this controversial sequence, Texas managed to move the ball into the red zone on their next possession. However, their hopes were dashed when Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer strip-sacked the Texas quarterback and returned the fumble for a game-sealing touchdown.
Needless to say, this game-changing missed call sparked outrage amongst fans.
“How is that missed? Wow,” one fan wrote on X.
“What are they even looking at?” someone else wrote.
“Biggest play of the game. Missed holding,” someone else said.
“Ohio State goes ahead thanks to this no call. Call that hold and drive likely ends,” another person added.
“Absolutely [freaking] ridiculous,” someone else said.
“Was literally screaming at my tv that this was a hold in real time and I never see them like that. Insane that this wasn’t called man,” another fan added.
‘Egregious,’ someone else said.
The missed holding call proved to be a pivotal turning point in the game. A correct call in that moment could have significantly altered the outcome.
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