ACC suspends officials involved in the wild 8-lateral, 91 yard TD run that gave Miami the win over Duke

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Yup. The refs blew.

The ACC announced that a whole slew of people made mistakes that cost Duke a win over Miami. If you didn’t see the play, it was wild. 8 laterals and a 91-yard TD run that give Miami a 30–27 win with no time left on the clock. Check out the video below.

But wait a minute. The league said, after reviewing the play, “the last play of the game was not handled appropriately,” commissioner John Swofford said in a statement.

“Officiating is an extraordinarily difficult job but our players, coaches, programs and fans deserve the best that can be offered. We will continue to strive to meet that standard.” — ACC’s John Swofford

Make Walton of Miami had a knee down before throwing a lateral. The call should have been then and there and that would have ended the game. There was also an illegal block from Miami. But wait, there’s more. A Miami player left the bench area and ran onto the field before the play ended. That should have stopped the TD run as well.

Why didn’t the officials on the field make the calls? And why didn’t the replay official pick up any of this? Big questions with few answers. Except the ACC is taking action. They suspended 8 officials, including the field crew, replay officials and communicators.