The Big 12 acknowledged late Saturday that replay officials failed to put time back on the clock at the end of BYU’s 28-24 victory over Notre Dame, a determination that prompted questions about the handling of the game's final sequence.
What went wrong on the final play
After Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr’s pass to Jaden Greathouse fell incomplete in the south end zone at LaVell Edwards Stadium, both the in-stadium clock and the ABC broadcast score bug showed one second remaining. By rule, that should have allowed Notre Dame one more play from BYU’s 8-yard line.
The Big 12’s postgame review concluded the play was “incorrectly cleared by the replay officiating crew,” determining that time remained on the clock when the ball hit the ground. The league said its replay center should have intervened to restore the second.
Replays of the final snap showed heavy contact between Greathouse and BYU's Evan Johnson in the end zone; observers said officials appeared to miss a potential defensive pass interference call, one of two specific failures critics highlighted in the game's officiating.
Officials, analysts and the conference response
NBC Sports rules analyst and former NFL referee Terry McAulay said replay officials missed a clear opportunity to correct the time and that replay should have reviewed the in-stadium clock. McAulay wrote on X, “As some have noted, there was indeed :01 on the bug clock when the pass hit the ground (BYU/ND).” He argued that the replay center should have looked at the stadium clock and restored the second.
The Big 12’s statement made the conference’s finding clear and announced steps to address the breakdown: a complete review of the end-of-game officiating process will be conducted in advance of next week’s games. The league’s acknowledgment centered on the replay center’s failure to intervene and the incorrect clearing of the play.
Those two elements — the unreturned second and the uncalled contact in the end zone — are the crux of the controversy. Together they left Notre Dame without the additional snap that rulemakers say was warranted and removed any opportunity for the Fighting Irish to attempt a final scoring play from the 8-yard line.
Immediate impact and unanswered questions
On the field, BYU held on for a 28-24 victory. The Big 12 acknowledged the replay error and said it will conduct a complete review of the end-of-game officiating process, raising procedural questions about how replay oversight handles timing errors at the end of games.
The conference’s promise of a “complete review of the end-of-game officiating process” signals that adjustments to replay protocols or communication between game officials and the replay center could follow. The review will be the league’s avenue for determining whether the error was an isolated human mistake or a symptom of broader process failures that need structural correction.
The Big 12 later acknowledged the game clock should have had one second remaining and that the replay crew incorrectly cleared the play; several replays showed the pass hit the turf with one second left and, by rule, Notre Dame should have been allowed one more play, but the game was ruled over and BYU won 28-24.
The Big 12 determination and the analyst commentary make clear there was a correctable mistake on the final play. The conference’s forthcoming review will be watched closely for any changes to replay procedures and for how the league intends to prevent similar endings in the future.
