No. 12 Oklahoma State will host Central Michigan on Thursday, an otherwise inconspicuous game ahead of Saturday's schedule of games.
Except: This matchup is the teams' first meeting since a controversial Cowboys loss to the Chippewas in 2016 — one that never should have occurred.
To summarize: Central Michigan hung tough in a game that was sloppily played by Oklahoma State, then ranked No. 22. The Chippewas managed to get an untimed down at the end of the game, trailing 27-24. Quarterback Cooper Rush heaved a Hail Mary to receiver Jesse Kroll at the 9-yard line, where three Cowboy defenders converged on him.
Kroll then lateraled to Corey Willis, who took the ball the remaining nine yards for the game-winning, 51-yard touchdown:
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It was an incredible display of tenacity on the part of the Chippewas. Only one thing: The game-winning Hail Mary should never have been allowed to occur. It was the result of an officiating error that otherwise would have ended the game.
The issue arose on Oklahoma State's final offensive down of the game. Quarterback Mason Rudolph heaved the ball out of bounds on fourth-and-13 from the Chippewas' 41-yard line. The play was ruled as intentional grounding, which should have resulted in a 10-second runoff, ending the game.
That was not how the MAC officiating crew called it, however. They mistakenly gave the Chippewas an untimed down at their own 49-yard line (the spot where Rudolph threw the pass).
Here's the final sequence of events, starting with the ill-fated intentional grounding attempt:
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That's when the controversy began. Tim O'Dey, the head official of the MAC officiating crew, admitted to a pool reporter that his team had misinterpreted the rule as it relates to loss-of-down penalties.
He also said that he had spoken to Rogers Redding, the NCAA rules committee secretary, at which point the crew — too late — determined Central Michigan's "extension should not have happened."
"There's an exception to the rule that says if enforcement of the foul involves a loss of down, then that brings the game to an end," O'Dey told a pool reporter (via ESPN).
Unfortunately, NCAA rules prohibit retroactively changing the outcome of a game. The score at the end of the game is final, even if it is "incorrect."
Oklahoma State Mike Gundy credited Central Michigan for winning the game, even as he blamed himself — and officials — for their role in his team's loss. Per a statement he issued a day after the game:
I’m disappointed in myself that I called a play that could have been interpreted as intentional grounding. That play has been in our playbook for 12 years now and intentional grounding and an untimed down after the last play of the game never even crossed my mind. Of course in hindsight, I wish I would have done it differently, but in the big picture, the game should have been over. While I’m disappointed in myself, I am also disappointed that we had 10 rules officials who didn’t properly apply the rule. I give credit to Central Michigan for coming up with a great play and executing it as well as they did.
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Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder was more pointed in his criticism:
"We had conversations with everyone that could help us understand the situation and do something about the outcome. We were told the result is final and there is nothing we can do about it," Holder said in a statement. "In my mind, it is incomprehensible that a misapplication of the rules after time has expired can't be corrected."
As for the officiating crew and Big 12 replay officials in charge of the game, both were suspended two games and not allowed to work any games during bowl season.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Oklahoma State fell to 1-1 following the game, part of a still-successful season in which the Cowboys officially went 10-3. The Cowboys, however, weren't interested in the official results: Following Oklahoma State's Alamo Bowl win over No. 11 Colorado, the team issued commemorative bowl rings that featured an 11-2 record:
Oklahoma State Football engraved "11-2" in their Alamo Bowl ring counting their loss to Central Michigan as a win😂 #SorryTeam pic.twitter.com/WUBQHDw2br
— WeAre BIG Champs (@PSUsportsHUB) April 19, 2017
All that to say: The Chippewas on Thursday will look to win their second straight game vs. Oklahoma State, while the Cowboys look to remain undefeated vs. Central Michigan.
