The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Texas Longhorns by a score of 28-14 in the College Football Playoff semifinal showdown on Friday night, but the Buckeyes were aided by a clear missed call from the referees.
During Ohio State’s final offensive touchdown drive of the game, which gave them a 21-14 lead over the Longhorns in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes converted on a crucial third down to keep the drive alive. However, the officials missed a pretty clear penalty on Ohio State that should have been called.
During the play, Texas defensive end Colin Simmons made a quick move to get outside of Ohio State right tackle Josh Fryar. Fryar responded by grabbing Simmons by the jersey and holding him from behind to protect quarterback Will Howard and allow him time to make the throw downfield.
Refs miss a hold on the Ohio State O-Line. pic.twitter.com/L1y6tGkShT
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) January 11, 2025
It clearly should have been a penalty on Ohio State for holding and it likely would have ended their drive, preventing them from scoring the go-ahead touchdown.
Since the holding penalty went uncalled, Ohio State was able to get the first down and continue marching down the field for the eventual go-ahead score.
On the next drive, Texas drove the ball downfield to the red zone but was ultimately stopped thanks to a strip-sack from Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer, who returned the fumble for a touchdown the other direction.
Clearly, this missed call was a pivotal moment in the game. Had the correct call been made, it could have impacted the eventual result.
