Only the refs saw this play in the national championship, a breakdown

Jan 12, 2022 5.5M views 5:39

What Happened

In the January 2022 College Football Playoff title game, Georgia trailed Alabama by a point on a third-and-eight in the fourth quarter. What looked like a routine incompletion was actually a fumble, and the line judge ruled the ballcarrier kept one foot in bounds with control before the ball came loose, giving Alabama a recovery and a first down at the Georgia 16. None of the ESPN broadcast angles, the SkyCam, coaches cam, or the main feed, caught either the foot or the fumble in real time. Alabama scored to take the lead, but Georgia answered and pulled away, sealing it with a pick-six to win 33-18.

Why This Matters

This was a bang-bang call that hinged on two things the cameras missed: did the runner have control, and was a foot in bounds before the ball came loose. By rule, if he's down or out of bounds it's a dead ball, no fumble. The officials decided he was a live runner who fumbled in the field of play, and replay couldn't find a clear angle to overturn it. For about a quarter that ruling looked enormous, since Alabama cashed it for the lead. Then it didn't matter at all. Stetson Bennett, the former walk-on who'd bounced to junior college and back, ran the offense the rest of the way and Georgia's defense closed it out. The Dawgs won their first national title since 1980, and a blown-looking spot became a footnote.

At 5.5M views it ranks 18th of 1,583 Jomboy breakdowns, sitting in the top 1.1% of the entire catalog.

Key Moments

Who / What Is Involved

Players: Nick Saban, Ben.

Full Transcript

Click timestamps to jump to that moment

the national championship game happened

and it was a doozy of a fourth quarter

we start at one point lead for Georgia

third and eight fourth quarter and that

just looks like a benign play just looks