ACC officiating boss says fumble by Miami was right call

Replay officials made the right call on a fumble that ended up costing the Miami Hurricanes a victory against Georgia Tech last week, ACC supervisor of officials Alberto Riveron told ESPN on Wednesday.

Rather than take a knee with 33 seconds remaining in the game, Miami, leading 20-17, handed the ball off to running back Don Chaney Jr., who fumbled. A replay review was immediately initiated to determine whether Chaney’s elbow was down before the fumble, which was recovered by Georgia Tech.

The referee, the replay official at the game and officials at the ACC Game Day Operations Center in Charlotte collaboratively reviewed the play. Riveron said they determined “there was no indisputable visual evidence to overturn the ruling on the field.”

“We made the right call on the field based on the angles that were afforded to us,” Riveron said. “The process and the protocol was followed.”

Miami officials contend a photo showing Chaney’s elbow down with the football still in his possession shows something different. When asked specifically about the photo, Riveron reiterated all proper procedures were followed during the review process.

“We take all the shots that are afforded to us by our TV partners, and we look at the play,” Riveron said. “We look for the football in relationship to where he loses control prior to hitting the ground. You have to have a view of the football the entire time, and you have to watch the football and make sure it’s in player possession until the time he’s legally down.

“If you don’t have that, you don’t have indisputable evidence to overturn the ruling on the field. In this case, the ruling on the field is a fumble. So if we’re going to overturn a fumble, we have to see the player in control of the football once he hits the ground.”

Georgia Tech gained possession and ended up winning the game with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Haynes King to Christian Leary with 1 second left.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal on Monday said that the Hurricanes sent in that play, along with several others, for feedback to determine whether the ruling was correct.

Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich told ESPN on Wednesday that he believes the standard of indisputable video evidence should be re-evaluated.

“The standard of indisputable is sometimes a very, very high standard to hit,” Radakovich said. “It’s a fast game, the officials do a phenomenal job, but sometimes they need assistance and if there’s a call that has to be made and you have to have this standard of indisputable, that’s sometimes a hard standard to reach.

“I think it’s one of the things the football rules committee should look into. They may decide not to do anything with it, but I think it needs to be discussed.”

Cristobal has repeatedly acknowledged he made the wrong call in not taking a knee.

After the fumble, Chaney and center Matt Lee were shown on the sideline crying. Lee said in a Zoom with reporters earlier this week he has no regrets over showing his emotions after the game, and his frustration went beyond the final play.

“To be honest, the game should have never been close,” Lee said. “Offensively, we didn’t play good enough. There’s several opportunities every single quarter where we should have put it away. It never should have came down to the wire like that.”