An NCAA referee has called it quits after an oddly handled replay review.
It was a replay late in the first half of Syracuse’s 27-20 victory over UConn last weekend that sparked the frustration that led to the decision for Gary Patterson, sources told ESPN on Friday.
Patterson, who was the head referee for the Saturday game and has worked as an official in the ACC since 2002, suddenly terminated his contract with the conference following the game.
The ACC confirmed Patterson’s departure from the list of conference officials on Friday, and his position has already been filled, leaving no disruption to league officiating. He was set to be a part of the crew for Saturday’s game between Pitt and West Virginia.
The situation leading to Patterson’s decision reportedly occurred with 1:02 left to play in the first half with the Huskies leading 14-3.
The Orange opened the drive on UConn’s 25-yard line and in the first play, quarterback Steve Angeli dropped back to pass but his arm was hit as he threw the ball, which only went about eight yards.
It was ruled as an incomplete pass and Syracuse would snap the ball again with 58 seconds remaining, but about 25 seconds of real time passed between the plays.
The second-down pass was almost intercepted before two Huskies collided and the pass landed on the turf incomplete, which brought a third-and-10 with 53 seconds remaining.
However, a flag was thrown after the play and Patterson could be found talking to the ACC’s command center through his headset for quite some time before announcing that “replay had buzzed in before the previous play.”
An ACC spokesperson, who noted the issue has been handled internally, explained that officials were buzzed to initiate the review but the timing between plays was not ideal for it to be a seamless replay.
Officials eventually reviewed the first-down play, looking for whether Angeli had fumbled. However, they ultimately upheld the initial call. The second down play was completely negated.
“The next play never occurred,” Patterson said over the Carrier Dome loudspeakers while explaining in the ruling.
ESPN rules expert Bill LeMonnier said the series of events was uncharacteristic of how reviews typically play out.
“Let’s say they’re right up at the line, the ball’s being snapped, and the buzzers go off,” LeMonnier said. “It’s the referee’s discretion to shut the play down vs. saying it’s too late. It’s supposed to be in the referee’s hands.”
He also noted that a flag was thrown following the second-down play, which was assumed to be for a high hit on Angeli by a UConn defender. Yet, it was ignored, despite rules that say a personal foul should be addressed even if it comes during a dead-ball period.
“The mistakes were completely created by either the replay booth or the command center,” LeMonnier said. “It’s not the fault of the officials on the field.”
Two sources told ESPN the directive came from the ACC command center. One source said Patterson was upset at the ACC’s interference, forcing the replay after the next play had already taken place, which sparked his resignation.
For select games this season, the ACC has given access to the review process between the on-field referees and the officials in the command center. However, the UConn and Syracuse game was not among those.