Furman’s defense had pitched a shutout through the game’s first 20 minutes against Southern Conference rival Samford, and the Paladins had seemingly just positioned their offense for more after Ivan Yates appeared to secure a contested interception from Samford wideout Chandler Smith.
It was Yates who met Smith at impact on a flare to the right flat and collided with Smith and then snared the ball away from the Samford receiver as the two tumbled to the ground.
A bang-bang play, for sure. But one that would ultimately spark one of the record-longest instant replay reviews in college football history?
Well, here we are.
And after Saturday’s 15-minute review that forever altered the flow of the game, the SoCon on Monday official a statement that admitted multiple significant officiating errors and announced the crew from the Bulldogs-Paladins game had been reprimanded.
— The Southern Conference (@SoConSports) October 3, 2022
Multiple Southern Conference coaches on Monday told FootballScoop that it was believed to be the first time the league had ever publicly acknowledged and reprimanded an officiating crew, which sources said was expected to be suspended from working games for an unspecified amount of time.
The play, shown below, initially was ruled a reception on the field for Samford’s offense. The first review saw that play reversed to an interception for the Furman defense.
After further review, the play is ruled an interception by Ivan Yates! pic.twitter.com/STxqXs9irE
— Furman Football (@PaladinFootball) October 1, 2022
End of story? Hardly. Officials further deliberated the outcome of the play and ultimately decided that the catch had been completed and that Smith’s forward progress had been stopped.
After the review – again, the same length of an actual quarter of play – Samford retained possession at its own 28-yardline, denying the Furman offense a short field and a chance to build on its double-digit lead, and scored its first touchdown five plays later – igniting a run of 20 unanswered points against the host Paladins.
In the hotly-contested SoCon, where the league’s champion earns an automatic Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs berth, the Bulldogs handled Furman its first league loss and kept alive their perfect start in conference play.