USC Trojans News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

USC head coach Lincoln Riley watches a play against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Big Ten officiating crew facing criticism for botched calls in USC-Michigan game

By Victor Haltom | Last updated Sep 23, 2024 2:52 PM ET

One of the principal reasons the USC Trojans gave for departing the Pac-12 was that conference commissioners did not hold referees accountable for officiating blunders. Ironically, the Trojans' inaugural conference game in the Big Ten was plagued by bad and missed calls.

On Sept. 21, the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines defeated the No. 13 Trojans 27-24 at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

Numerous media outlets reported that the game was marred by poor officiating.

Sports Illustrated summed it up: "Whether it was issues spotting the ball or missing calls, this was not the best game for the Big Ten officiating crew overall in its first conference game of the season." Per the LAFB Network, "the officiating, or lack thereof, was horrendous." The New York Times subtly observed that "the Trojans suffered some bad breaks officiating-wise."

While the Wolverines won the battle in the trenches, the Trojans outgained the Wolverines 397-322 in total yardage, racked up 17 first downs to only 12 for Michigan and amassed nearly 10 times more passing yards than the Maize and Blue (283-32).

The officiating errors began early in the game and continued throughout.

As reported by Athlon Sports, "just one drive into the game, the refs ... missed a clear delay of game call on fourth down that could have had major consequences for the Trojans."

The expiration of the play clock before the Wolverines snapped the ball was obvious.

Additionally, Sports Illustrated noted, "While at the end of the day, the Trojans still lost the game, in a close matchup, the officiating could have changed the outcome. ... The reason for the dismay is that the officiating came off as one-sided."

On another fourth down early in the game, Michigan went for it inside its own territory. Although it appeared the Wolverines did not reach the line to gain, the officials granted Michigan a first down. Instead of USC receiving the ball after stopping Michigan, the Wolverines broke off a lengthy touchdown run on the next play.

The officiating errors continued, as the referees missed three face mask penalties by Michigan defenders against USC quarterback Miller Moss.

For these penalties, the Trojans should have received 15-yard walk-offs. But the officials kept the yellow flags in their pockets.

Furthermore, on two occasions, dangerous fouls committed by the Wolverines were not flagged. After an uncalled blindside block, USC wide receiver Makai Lemon was hospitalized. Trojans WR Ja'Kobi Lane appeared to be injured after an illegal horse-collar tackle that went unpenalized.

Michigan supporters have responded to the criticism of the officiating by noting that the refs also missed an evident offsides penalty against USC in the first quarter. While that was an uncalled penalty against the Trojans, its significance pales compared to myriad botched calls that worked against USC.

Victor Haltom

Victor Haltom began his undergraduate studies at SMU, then transferred to Penn State, graduating with BA in philosophy. He has extensive writing and editing experience, with over 250 sports-related articles having been published.

More must-reads: