Big Ten adjusts onside kick officiating after Michigan-Minnesota controversy
The Big Ten is making changes to the way onside kicks are officiated going forward.
The change is taking place after a controversial offsides call against Minnesota in the Little Brown Jug game in Week 5. The play was submitted to the B1G for review, and the conference admitted to P.J. Fleck that it was “too tight to flag”.
B1G officials released the following statement regarding the change, via the Pioneer Press:
Effective immediately, the Big Ten has been approved by the NCAA to implement a modified officiating mechanic … on onside kicks by positioning the Line Judge and Head Line-Judge on the kicking team’s restraining line, thereby putting multiple officials in the best position to consistently make the correct judgment.
For his part, Fleck was happy to see changes quickly implemented.
“We credit the Big Ten Conference for recognizing the need to make this change to ensure accurate calls in the future,” Fleck said in a statement.
However, it’s still a tough pill for the Gophers to swallow that a game was lost due to a bad call.
This game seemed to be headed for a blowout. The Wolverines led the Gophers 21-3 at halftime and dominated on both sides of the ball.
The Gophers came back with a force in the 2nd half, though. The Gophers outscored the Wolverines 21-6 in the 2nd half and were an onside kick away from a potential upset.
Instead, the Gophers fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in B1G play. The next test for the team will be against the No. 11 USC Trojans in Week 6.