Butch Jones and Arkansas State won their season-opener because Sun Belt officials made the wrong call and they admitted it
Butch Jones and the Arkansas State Red Wolves started the season 1-0 after barely surviving against Central Arkansas on Saturday. Arkansas State scored a touchdown to take a 34-31 lead with three seconds remaining in the game. The touchdown reception was initially ruled incomplete before it was ruled as a completed pass after a lengthy […]
Butch Jones and the Arkansas State Red Wolves started the season 1-0 after barely surviving against Central Arkansas on Saturday.
Arkansas State scored a touchdown to take a 34-31 lead with three seconds remaining in the game. The touchdown reception was initially ruled incomplete before it was ruled as a completed pass after a lengthy review.
Apparently, that wasn't the right call.
103.7 The Buzz's Justin Acri, the host of The Nathan Brown Show (Brown is the head coach at Central Arkansas), noted on Monday night that the United Athletic Conference commissioner spoke to the head of officials for the Sun Belt and it was revealed that the call should not have been overturned.
"We have learned over the last 24 hours that it was the incorrect call," said Acri. "Which we all thought was the case at the time."
"We've heard from your commissioner, who talked to the head of officials for the Sun Belt conference — it was a crew who not only works Sun Belt, but also SEC games," continued Acri. "And we were told that the call on the review, which overturned what was originally ruled an incomplete catch by, again, an outstanding receiver Corey Rucker, was in fact not a catch. Or should not have been overturned on review."
There were still three seconds left to play in the game when the call was overturned. Arkansas State would've had another chance to win the game (and Jones said after the game that he was thinking about the next play, instead of whether or not Arkansas State would win the challenge). Still, there's no guarantee that the Red Wolves would've scored, which means Central Arkansas was potentially robbed of a massive win.
Luck was on Jones' side on Saturday. He might need more of that luck in a couple of weeks when Arkansas State travels to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines.
