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Miami AD Says ACC Acknowledged 'Multiple Incorrect Calls' in Win vs. Duke

Scott Polacek

College football fans will likely always remember the eight-lateral kickoff return by the Miami Hurricanes to win Saturday’s game against the Duke Blue Devils, 30-27.

While the return was incredible, even if it should not have counted, the fact that the ACC suspended the officiating crew for two games because of four errors it found during the play will also be a part of history. Miami should never have scored that touchdown, and Duke had a rightful grievance.

However, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), the Blue Devils weren’t the only team that had a right to complain about the officiating.

Miami told season-ticket holders and donors Thursday in a letter from athletic director Blake James that the ACC acknowledged “multiple incorrect calls” against the Hurricanes during the back-and-forth affair. Among the mistakes was “an erroneous pass-interference call on the drive on which the Blue Devils scored a go-ahead touchdown,” per the Associated Press.

The AP noted Miami had a number of issues with the officiating, including the notion that Duke’s touchdown with six seconds remaining should have been reviewed to determine if the ball-carrier reached the end zone. What’s more, the Hurricanes were called for three pass-interference penalties on Duke's final drive, including one that wiped out an interception.

James summed up his overall mindset about the game in the letter: “The eight-lateral, touchdown play which won the game will forever be cemented in college football lore and in our storied history. The fact that the ACC publicly acknowledged officiating errors on the play does not, in any way, take away our victory or our incredible spirit.” 

He is right about one thing: The play will go down in college football lore. However, the missed calls will always be a part of what people remember about it, even if Duke benefited from other whistles earlier in the game. Here it is, one more time, per SportsCenter:

Teams regularly send plays to conference offices for review after games. However, this instance is more public because of how the contest ended and the number of mistakes the officials made throughout the game.

If nothing else, the Hurricanes can point to these apparent missed calls as a counter to those who say they should not have won because of the kick return.

   

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