Illinois denied a down in game because of 'breakdown' among crew

The group that oversees Big Ten officiating acknowledged "a breakdown of mechanics" in Saturday's Nebraska-Illinoisgame that cost the Fighting Illini a down.

Confusion reigned on Illinois' first possession of the second half. A 10-yard gain on a first down was spotted incorrectly, leading the Illini to believe they were running a second-down play on the next snap. That threw everything off, leading to Illinois throwing a short pass on fourth down when both teams thought it was a third-down play.

Bill Carollo, coordinator of officials for the Collegiate Officiating Consortium, said Monday that several errors occurred to create the bizarre sequence.

"While officials on the field are responsible for the correct down, distance and oversight of the chain crew, it is also the responsibility of the replay officials to monitor the game administration and correct the number of a down and distance if inaccurate," Carollo said in a statement released by the consortium. "If properly officiated, the Illinois football team would have had an additional down."

The consortium, which oversees officials in the Big Ten, Mid-American and Missouri Valley conferences, did not announce specific discipline for the crew involved but noted that errors like these "have a significant impact on game assignments, bowl assignments and overall year-end status."

Illinois beat Nebraska 14-13.