Miami stayed undefeated with a massive comeback college football win over Cal on Saturday night. The Hurricanes were once again bailed out by the referees on a pair of calls that were questionable, at best.
ACC officials made sure that their darling did not leave the Bay Area with a loss.
College Gameday descended up on Berkeley for the first time in program history. Chaos proceeded to unfold under the guise of darkness when students breached ESPN’s set before it was officially open and the #Calgorithm took over the broadcast with all kinds of hilarious, intentionally woke signs. It was an incredible scene on Memorial Glade.
12 hours later, literally, the Golden Bears kicked off at California Memorial Stadium. They actually took a 21-10 lead into the locker room at halftime and went up 35-10 with eight minutes left in the third quarter.
And then Cam Ward woke up.
The highly-coveted transfer quarterback bolstered his Heisman Trophy résumé with more than 300 yards passing in the last 20 minutes of the game. He also led Miami back from the dead with four-straight touchdowns on their final four drives of the game (not including the kneel down at the end).
As good as Ward played in the second half, two controversial calls were also hugely important to the Hurricanes’ comeback.
There were not just one, but two offensive linemen at or beyond the goal line on the game-winning touchdown. They were no less than four yards past the line of scrimmage.
CANES TIE IT UP
— NMD Grant (@NMDgrant) October 6, 2024
WARD TO ARROYO pic.twitter.com/YZNmvoC8C8
Both lineman likely could’ve been deemed as “illegal men downfield.” One was definitively so.
Miami would’ve had 3rd-and-goal from the 10-yard-line if a flag was thrown instead of a touchdown on 2nd-and-goal. That was one potential game-changing no-call.
The other took place with one minute and 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Hurricanes linebacker Wesley Bissainthe leveled Fernando Mendoza on a quarterback draw up the middle. In doing so, he launched, lowered his head, and initiated contact to the head or neck area with the crown of his helmet.
— dubs408 (@dubsvidstouse) October 6, 2024
The play was reviewed for targeting, which would have been the correct call.
Somehow, some way, the Atlantic Coast Conference officials in Berkeley determined that Bissainthe’s hit was clean. It was not ruled as targeting.
"Back-to-back weeks Miami is in a situation where it comes down to replay and you question if the officials are getting the calls correct. I do not know by the definition of the rulebook, how that is not targeting."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 6, 2024
– Brock Osweiler pic.twitter.com/dIt0dLdbF3
Cal was forced to punt on 4th down, which gave Miami the opportunity to go win the game like it did. A targeting call would’ve presented the Bears with a fresh set of downs. Rather, a targeting call should have presented the Bears with a fresh set of downs!
The Hurricanes were the beneficiaries of another bad call(s) at the end of the game for the second week in a row.
ACC officials could not provide a proper explanation for the last one. How will it try to explain the lack of targeting and the illegal man downfield?