The conference has overturned the targeting call on Arvell Reese, allowing him to suit up against Penn State.
Ohio State held a 21-17 lead with a little over three minutes remaining in the game against Nebraska, and the Cornhuskers had possession of the football looking to drive down the field and pull off the upset. The Buckeyes’ defense desperately needed to make a fourth quarter stop — an area they have really struggled in close games as of late.
For a moment, it looked like they had done just that.
Following an offensive pass interference on Nebraska that forced them into a 1st-and-22 from their own 12-yard line, Dylan Raiola fired over the middle to Jahmal Banks for what would have been about a 20-yard gain. That was until Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese came across the middle with a hard hit on Banks, knocking the ball loose with Sonny Styles quickly falling on the football.
The takeaway would have virtually ended the game, as the Buckeyes appeared to have taken over possession on Nebraska’s 30-yard line with three minutes remaining and the Huskers with only one timeout left. However, the officials in the moment ruled that the receiver did not maintain control, calling it an incompletion on the field.
Then the flags started to fly.
After an extended replay review, the referees determined that it was in fact a completed catch, which would have meant that Ohio State caused a fumble which it then recovered. Unfortunately, they also ruled that Reese was ejected from the game for targeting on the play, which negated the turnover and instead gave Nebraska a first down near midfield.
Ryan Day was about as visibly furious as we have seen him during his tenure with the Buckeyes, screaming at the officials and tossing his headset following the ruling — and rightfully so. At no point did Reese launch himself or make helmet-to-helmet contact with Banks, leading with his forearm and shoulder into the chest of the receiver, knocking the ball free. On top of the Cornhuskers getting the ball back with a free first down, it also meant Reese would have to miss the first half of the Penn State game.
On Monday, the Big Ten reversed course. Ohio State filed an appeal to the conference following the game, and the conference in turn brought the case to the NCAA. After further review, the NCAA ruled that it was not targeting, that Reese should not have been ejected from the game, and also vacated his suspension, allowing the sophomore to suit up for the game against the Nittany Lions without the need to sit out the first two quarters.
While it is great that the correct call was eventually made — albeit long after the game itself had ended — what if the mistake had costed Ohio State the game?
The Buckeyes wound up causing a turnover later in the drive anyway, as Jordan Hancock’s interception let the home team salt the game away, but Nebraska should never have retained possession of the football in the first place. A simple “whoopsie daisy” from the Big Ten would not suffice had the Cornhuskers gone down the field and scored following the incorrect call.
Officiating has been a huge problem across the sport this season, and this wasn’t even the only call from this game that this referee crew got wrong.
In a separate statement from the Big Ten on Monday, the league also determined that a late first half run by Emmett Johnson was spotted a full two yards short, leading to a third down instead of moving the chains. Nebraska converted that set of downs anyway, but at what point will any of these officials be reprimanded for making egregious mistakes or face some sort of consequence for potentially changing the outcome of games because they’re bad at their jobs?
These latest transgressions come just one game after a questionable offensive pass interference call against Jeremiah Smith backed Ohio State out of field goal range against Oregon with the game on the line. Every week in college football it seems as though a bad call or two here and there opens the door for a change in the results of important matchups, and it doesn’t sound like the Big Ten or the NCAA have any plans to do anything about it.
There are no efforts being made by any entity to improve the quality of officiating, and instead we are forced to wonder each weekend what exactly qualifies a catch and if every single hard hit will be flagged for targeting or roughing the passer. Even with a million camera angles and a streamlined review system, officials still seem to get it wrong far too often.
There will be many more games down the line where an incorrect call costs a team a game in a big spot, and a simple “oopsie” by the conference after the fact isn’t going to be enough.
To be clear: neither the targeting nor the OPI call are what caused the Buckeyes to lose to Oregon or to play a closer-than-necessary game against Nebraska, but these are important decisions at the highest level of the sport that could prove disastrous under the right circumstances, and mistakes like this simply should not happen.
At any rate, it is good news for Ohio State to have Reese available for the full contest against Penn State. Despite not officially functioning as a starter, the Cleveland native has been a key contributor for the Buckeyes off the bench, and has been the first man up when Jim Knowles moves to a 4-3 set.
On the season, Reese has recorded 19 total tackles and two tackles for loss, and will likely see the field a bunch against the Nittany Lions’ strong ground attack that ranks third in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game.