Bill O’Brien furious after penalty for late hit on Dylan Raiola

Boston College coach Bill O’Brien was absolutely furious with a late hit call that went against his team during Saturday’s Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.

Late in the fourth quarter with the Nebraska Cornhuskers clinging to a 20-15 lead, quarterback Dylan Raiola went into his slide and took a big hit from Boston College defensive back Carter Davis. Davis was called for a late hit, giving Nebraska a crucial first down and sending O’Brien into a meltdown.

Players had to be separated after this hit on Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola.

Boston College was given a personal foul penalty for a late hit on the play. pic.twitter.com/9e65pHThSO

— ESPN (@espn) December 28, 2024

O’Brien’s point was that Raiola went into his slide very late, and even looked like he was going to try to dodge Davis before doing so. Davis may have even launched into his tackle before Raiola started to slide, but the officials had already thrown the flag.

The controversy here stems from the so-called Kenny Pickett rule, which states that a quarterback is down as soon as he starts to go into his slide. O’Brien would certainly contend that did not happen here.

The Huskers hung on to win the game 20-15.