Less than a week after the end of the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit broke his silence regarding the controversial call that led to an overturned fumble for Ohio State. Notably, Big Ten officiating coordinator Bill Carollo also said that Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross clearly received a complete pass. National coordinator of officials, Rogers Redding also shared the sentiment. Already under pressure, it seems like refs are not going to walk away easily after the controversial decisions.
Herbstreit said that he does not agree with the Fiesta Bowl officials’ decision to overturn the catch and fumble.
He said that the overturn should not have been done as it looked like a legitimate catch and fumble. He, however, does not think that the overturn ultimately led to Ohio State’s loss.
Point blank Ohio State Buckeyes out played Clemson & we lost because of the bias refs who most know had a reason 2keep OSU FROM WINNING THIS GAME ! Clemson knows damn well that was a bad call & the targeting Enjoy your win Clemson u by all means didn’t earn it , it was handed 2U
— Sonya Twin of Tonya (@SonyaMatalon) January 1, 2020The decision to reverse the catch and fumble negated Ohio State’s ensuing touchdown. The analyst has not spoken about the other controversial officiating call of the 2019 Fiesta Bowl. That was when cornerback Shaun Wade got ejected from the game because of a targeting violation.
I said what I thought during the game. Looked like a catch and fumble to me. I don’t understand how it was overturned. But there were a lot of things that impacted the outcome of the game. But that was the one call that I didn’t agree with at all. https://t.co/OrRIZ3VSJu
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) December 30, 2019Kirk Herbstreit shares opinion on other Fiesta Bowl matters
Apart from talking about the overturned fumble, Herbstreit also weighed in on other related 2019 Fiesta Bowl issues.
The sports commentator slammed Ohio State fans for their conspiracy theories regarding ESPN’s bias in favor of Clemson. He explained that if things were up to ESPN, the sports media company would put the Buckeyes on every game. According to him, Ohio State’s games almost always result in high ratings so a Clemson bias would be illogical.
Clemson + Bad Refs top The Ohio State Buckeyes. This one stings because of the bad calls. Targeting. Ejection. Overturned Fumble Recovery. Hard to beat the refs too.
— ⭕️🙌🙏⭕️ (@andy_boise) December 29, 2019The ESPN sports pundit may have been critical of the Buckeye fan base but he was all-praises when it comes to running back J.K. Dobbins. On Twitter, Herbstreit reposted one of the player’s tweets. He called him “unbelievably gifted,” complimenting him for his passion and hard work for the game.
Bad targeting ejection and bad overturned fumble. SEC refs handed Clemson that game. Real shame. Ohio State Buckeyes 2021 National Champions.
— Charlie Mosse (@cvm31) December 29, 2019The Ohio State-Clemson face-off was especially tough for Herbstreit, who has connections with both teams.
He himself was a quarterback and co-captain of the Buckeyes when he was in college. His identical twin sons, on the other hand, are freshman players for the Tigers.
Ohio State Buckeyes make NFL decisions
In related news, several members of the Ohio State Buckeyes have made their decision regarding this year’s NFL Draft. On Thursday, cornerback Jeff Okudah announced that he will be entering the NFL Draft. Through a post on his Twitter account, Okudah thanked the Buckeyes for a wonderful college football career. He also thanked the university for welcoming him, calling Ohio State “the best university in the country.” Okudah follows Dobbins who declared for the NFL Draft two days earlier. For his own announcement, Dobbins exclaimed that he will forever be a Buckeye.
Not everything is bad news for the Ohio State Buckeyes, however. Punter Drue Chrisman and linebacker Baron Browning will be back for their senior seasons for the team. The two players were rumored to be joining the NFL Draft as well. Both Chrisman and Browning will play integral roles in Ohio State’s play for the national championship next season.
