Game officials made an error in spotting the ball on Oregon's 2-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's loss to UCLA, the Big Ten announced on Sunday. After Evan Stewart’s 44-yard scoring catch from Brock Thomas pulled the Ducks within 17-15 with 2:16 left, UCLA was flagged for a facemask penalty on Oregon’s 2-point conversion try. Officials spotted the ball one-and-a-half yards from the goal line and UCLA’s defense smothered rusher Jordon Davison to thwart the Ducks' second chance.
The Big Ten said that officials erred in spotting the ball half the distance from the line of scrimmage. Instead, the ball should have been a half-yard from the goal line. "Per rule, the ball should have been spotted half-the-distance to the goal from the end of the run of the first attempt," the Big Ten's statement said.
The Ducks had one final drive with less than a minute left but a lost fumble — one of seven Oregon turnovers in the game. With the 17-15 loss, the Ducks (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) dropped out of the AP Top 25. "The Big Ten has been in contact with its officiating team from Saturday’s game regarding the error and will continue to emphasize consistent application of the playing rules," the conference statement said.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
