The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets upset the No. 12 Clemson Tigers 24-21 on a 55-yard walk-off field goal Saturday in Atlanta. The wild game already provided enough entertainment, but ESPN viewers also enjoyed a unique feature on the broadcast.
The ACC and ESPN debuted enhanced replay access in Week 1, giving viewers the chance to watch and listen in on live conversations between the referee and ACC Gameday Operations Center (located in Charlotte) during replay review.
And during the Georgia Tech-Clemson game, this feature was on full display for multiple key goal-line plays, allowing viewers to hear the full conversations between the referee and the ACC’s collaborative instant replay official.
Even ESPN broadcasters Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick were very entertained by being able to hear the detailed explanations in the conversations.
“As good as it gets,” Wischusen said after listening in on the goal-line review conversation in the second quarter. “Just a great peek behind the curtain.”
“That’s so good,” Riddick said.
“And sometimes, even when the call might seem obvious, what I find interesting is they have to have that conversation about where do we spot the ball, where should the clock be, where should the play clock be, just to make sure you’re managing the game correctly,” Wischusen continued.
“I just like the decision-making process,” Riddick added. “Clear and obvious; it wasn’t there; there wasn’t any evidence.”
“I say this as someone who’s called this game for about three hours- that’s better than anything I ever said,” Wischusen said after the goal-line replay review with 3:29 to go in the fourth quarter. “That game-changing call and the peek behind the curtain, going to the Operations Center for the ACC, and you hear everyone arrive at a collective decision that your eyes, Louis, told you, you thought it was an incomplete pass- that’s better than anything I do all day.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty good by the replay center,” Riddick responded. “Just walking you through that, how they go through their decision-making process, what they look at for evidence, is it clear and obvious.”
The ACC enhanced replay access received highly positive reviews on social media from ESPN viewers:
Viewers and fans might still disagree with a ruling, but at least ESPN and the ACC are being transparent in how they reach those conclusions with the enhanced replay access.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.