Virginia Tech Fan Ends Debate Over Controversial Field Goal Call After Using 3D Model To Determine If Pitt Should Have Won

On Friday, Virginia Tech became the latest team to fall victim to a controversial field goal call after officials ruled the Hokies failed to convert what would have been a game-winning kick against Pitt. There’s been plenty of debate over whether or not that call was correct, but one fan basically settled it with the help of some technology college football should probably embrace.

Every sport has benefited from the technological advancements that officials have become increasingly reliant on to ensure they get things right over the course of a game. That includes football, as referees routinely harness the high-definition footage from the dozens of cameras that are used to cover a typical contest to review close calls.

However, there’s one particular aspect of the game where the ruling can ultimately come down to what someone in stripes witnessed in real time: field goals, where it can be difficult to determine if a kick is good or not when it sails above one of the uprights.

That was an issue when Virginia Tech and Pitt faced off on October 2nd in an ACC showdown where the Hokies had the chance to clinch a victory with a 36-yard field goal on the final play of the game. However, John Love’s attempt was ruled no good after it crossed right over the right upright, a call that many fans were convinced was incorrect.

Thankfully, we’ve been treated to a video that appears to put the matter to rest.

A video breakdown of the controversial field goal at the end of the Virginia Tech-Pitt game shows it was actually no good

The goalposts at NFL stadiums extend 45 feet above the ground (an extra five feet was added in 2014 due to Justin Tucker’s controversial make against the Patriots a couple of years prior), while those at the college level typically stand at 30 feet.

By rule, the uprights extend to the heavens, meaning any kick that goes directly above one of them should be no good. Replay can be used to determine if that’s the case, but neither the NFL nor the NCAA have opted for dedicated cameras or lasers that could theoretically prevent crucial calls from boiling down to what an official saw with their eyeballs.

That technology would have seemingly come in handy when Virginia Tech hosted Pitt on Friday, as the Panthers eked out a 35-33 win after the judge standing under the right upright determined Love’s kick failed to sneak inside it.

At least one angle captured on the field appeared to back up that ruling, but it’s nonetheless been a very hot topic of conversation among Hokies fans who feel they were robbed.

However, one man who’s versed in photogrammetry (the art of 3D modeling that serves as the basis for the Hawk-Eye system used in tennis and by Major League Baseball) used that knowledge while cobbling together a few angles of the kick to track its trajectory in a video where he was able to determine it was, in fact, wide by a little more than a foot.

That should settle that.