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College football viewers left Week 3 disappointed in officiating following a number of questionable calls, some of which had direct impacts on the results of games.
Coaches weren’t too happy either!
Despite securing close wins in come-from-behind performances, both Kirby Smart and Pat Narduzzi commented on the referees after the fact.
Georgia outlasted Kentucky, 13-12, leaving Lexington with an important road win in the SEC. Smart believes his team was penalized far too much after racking up nine fouls for a total of 85 yards.
One in particular made headlines.
Can someone explain how this is roughing the passer to me like I’m 5 years old. #godawgs pic.twitter.com/13sHgci2pC
— Jerry “HBTFD” Heñson 🔴⚫️🐶⚫️🔴 (@mejerryhenson) September 15, 2024
What appeared to be a form tackle turned into a roughing the passer call, giving Kentucky 15 yards and a free first down.
“I watched games today and it was like, crazy,” Smart said after the game. “We’ve been a low-penalty, smart team and I can’t figure it out. I don’t know if it’s the way it’s being called… but we’ve got to reel it in some.”
Pat Narduzzi, whose Pitt team was penalized 12 times against West Virginia, echoed those sentiments. He went a step further in his criticism, though, and quickly landed a fine from the ACC.
Pat Narduzzi fined $5,000 by ACC (I’m sure he will say it was worth it) & ACC issues public reprimand for him violating ACC Sportsmanship Policy by criticizing the officials https://t.co/N1Tu7DNau9
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 16, 2024
Why were college football refs so questionable in Week 3?
Some have suggested that the NFL’s Thursday Night contest played a role!
Tua Tagovailoa suffered another concussion in a game against the Bills, which lead sports media to believe an emphasis on player safety was placed ahead of Saturday’s NCAA slate.
Josh Pate believes quarterback safety was a focal point, and it resulted in a number of questionable calls. We previously noted the Georgia roughing the passer call that looked legal.
Oregon and Indiana saw similarly egregious fouls called.
South Carolina likely got the worst of it as it had not one, but two pick-sixes called back for hits on the quarterback. They’d go onto lose by three points.
Calls for investigations into the officiating process have been made by fans, but it likely won’t make much difference.
Even if those college football referees admit mistakes, outcomes of games won’t be changed. For those that escaped with wins in spite of the officiating, they’ll hope the screw ups don’t cost them later down the road.
For those on the losing end, coaches and players are left with “what if.”