Being a referee is a difficult job, one that is much harder than most fans would be led to believe thanks to the gift of hi-definition TVs and slow-motion replays, but there are times where the referees make mistakes that are, truly, dreadful and avoidable, which are the moments that drive fans, players, and coaches mad.
The crew in Happy Valley on Saturday night for Auburn-Penn State had a rough go of it in the first half, as neither fan base was happy with them, but the Nittany Lions had a very real gripe over them bungling the down marker on a drive that led Penn State to punt on what should’ve been third down.
— roundrobin (@roundrobin4me) September 19, 2021
On first down, Penn State got flagged for a bizarre intentional grounding on what was apparently some miscommunication that led Sean Clifford to launch the ball on a go route when his receiver hooked up, which meant they lost the yardage and the down. Still, that should’ve made things second down, so the quick out to recoup the yardage lost on the grounding would’ve meant it was still third down. However, the down marker got messed up — likely after already flipping to second down, then flipping again to third as they announced the loss of downs from the grounding penalty — and despite the protests of James Franklin, the refs refused to listen or consider they had gotten it wrong, insisting it was fourth down so Penn State trotted out the punt unit.
The good news was Penn State’s defense got a stop on the ensuing possession and they were able to go on a 91-yard touchdown march when they got the ball back, but it certainly wasn’t a shining moment for the officiating crew.
