Kirk Herbstreit says he's 'still kind of confused' on final controversial ruling in Penn State-Indiana game
Indiana fans will never forget Michael Penix Jr.’s heroic reach to the pylon that lifted the Hoosiers to a 36-35 win over Penn State in Week 1. Nittany Lions fans won’t forget it either, but for a much different reason, most believing the officials made the wrong call on the field.
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit appears to be on the side of Penn State, too.
Speaking with PennLive.com, Herbstreit admitted that he’s “still kind of confused,” about the ruling on the final play of Saturday’s game in Bloomington. The analyst believes the ball hit the ground before it touched the pylon.
Herbie says he never thought the call would be upheld as a converted 2-point conversion.
“I’m watching and I’m looking at it and I’m thinking — because they had that angle, and it was like a super slow mo and I kept seeing the ball hit the ground and then hit the pylon,” Herbstreit said. “I’m like, there’s no way, as far as I understand the rule, there’s no way that’ll be good.
But the call did stand, and Indiana escaped with a win over then-No. 8 Penn State. It was the Hoosiers’ first victory over a top 10 team since defeating Ohio State in 1987.
“I guess it was so close, it was one of those, whatever the call on the field, we’ll just stick with the call on the field,” Herbstreit said.
That ruling delivered a serious gut punch to Penn State’s College Football Playoff and B1G title hopes. The Nittany Lions must bounce back this week against Ohio State, the favorite to win the conference again.
Indiana, on the other hand, rides high into a game against Rutgers, with a chance to start the season off 2-0.