The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines defeated the Maryland Terrapins, 34-21, on Saturday to improve to 11-0 on the year, but a penalty called against Maryland resulting in a safety late in the fourth quarter has people talking.
Facing second down from deep in their own territory, Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa dropped back into the Maryland end zone and, upon facing pressure, threw the ball toward the sideline.
After conferring briefly, the referees threw a flag for intentional grounding. Since the violation occurred in the end zone, it was ruled a safety, pushing Michigan’s lead to 31-24 and giving the Wolverines the ball back. They would run out the clock.
This was ruled intentional grounding on Taulia Tagovailoa and Maryland, resulting in a safety and 2 points for Michigan with under 4 minutes remaining. 🏈👮♂️pic.twitter.com/crxlYZA46h
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 18, 2023
Fans on social media were largely critical of the call.
One said, “We’ve gone from “receiver in the area” to “you’d better hit him head high or it’s a penalty”
We’ve gone from “receiver in the area” to “you’d better hit him head high or it’s a penalty” https://t.co/bP5F8y1nmO
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) November 18, 2023
Another was very critical of the referees, saying, “Awful officiating. Zebras had to get involved in the tight game late. When will this garbage stop? The apology letter on Wednesday doesn’t help anything.”
Awful officiating. Zebras had to get involved in the tight game late. When will this garbage stop? The apology letter on Wednesday doesn’t help anything. https://t.co/7sPy9fmUjE
— Ben Hall (@bhjournalist) November 18, 2023
Another felt it was a case of selective enforcement, saying “In a 5-point game, this basically ended it. Intentional grounding is almost never the call here, and in a situation like this, you’ll never convince me that officials don’t know that a certain result is better for their employer”
Awful officiating. Zebras had to get involved in the tight game late. When will this garbage stop? The apology letter on Wednesday doesn’t help anything. https://t.co/7sPy9fmUjE
— Ben Hall (@bhjournalist) November 18, 2023
Another mentioned the officiating has been a problem all year, saying,”I mean this is an absurd call. Have refs been told they need to call this more cause I feel like every week there are these calls that typically aren’t (and shouldn’t be) called”
I mean this is an absurd call. Have refs been told they need to call this more cause I feel like every week there are these calls that typically aren’t (and shouldn’t be) called https://t.co/sCGfnlvajj
— Paul Yanow (@pyanowPPP) November 18, 2023
