NBC Sports rules analyst Terry McAuley was not a fan of a controversial call in Saturday’s game between the NC State Wolfpack and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
With a minute and a half remaining in the second quarter and the score tied 7-7, NC State’s Terrell Anderson tried to make a diving catch on a pass from CJ Bailey, though it appeared that it went through his hands as he fell to the ground. Still, it was ruled a catch on the field, but since there were fewer than two minutes left in the half, the referees reviewed it. Upon review, the call was upheld and the catch stood.
Both Peacock announcers, Dan Hicks and Jason Garrett, expressed surprise at the decision. McAulay, meanwhile, took things to the next level in his reaction on social media.
“The failure to reverse to incomplete in ND/NC State is quite possibly the worst Replay ruling I’ve seen this season,” McAulay wrote on X.
NC State wound up punting, though Notre Dame almost intercepted Bailey beforehand. On that play, officials called it an incomplete pass on the field and upheld that call, too. That one surprised the announcers as well, though McAulay was with the refs on that one.
Notre Dame took a 10-7 lead before halftime and eventually cruised to a 36-7 win, making the dubious replay call meaningless to the game’s outcome. Still, it’s hard to look at the footage of the supposed catch and think the officials got that one right.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.