Virginia upsets Pitt after referees award controversial ‘5th down’
College football fans got flashbacks to 1990 Colorado over the weekend.
No. 19-ranked Pitt was upset by unranked Virginia on Saturday by a final score of 24-19. With Virginia up 21-19 midway through the fourth quarter, they were facing a 4th-and-1 in Pitt territory and decided to go for it.
Virginia’s ensuing QB sneak was stuffed by Pitt … but they got an explicable second opportunity from the refs. Without preventing the ball from being snapped or otherwise blowing the play dead, the referees stated that they “were not in position” to properly judge the play, and gave Virginia a re-do of the 4th-and-1.
Virginia got a huge break in its win over Pitt. The Cavaliers tried a QB sneak on fourth down and were stuffed.
But the play was waived off as the officials weren't in position. They replayed the down and Virginia picked up the first down. pic.twitter.com/1cNp6fKeGv
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 10, 2024
Even Pitt’s official X page could not help but sarcastically chime in on the call, writing, “lol. Ok.”
lol. Ok.
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) November 10, 2024
The Cavaliers would then convert on their next 4th-down play and were able to bleed four more minutes off the clock before kicking a 32-yard field goal to put them up 24-19. As a result, Pitt had to go for a touchdown instead of for a field goal of their own. Panthers quarterback Nate Yarnell was then picked off five plays into the drive, effectively ending the game.
With the 4th-down do-over, Virginia effectively got a fifth down and were able to put three more points up on the board that they otherwise would have forfeited with the turnover on downs. While the officials might argue that they were trying to call a snap infraction there (effectively that Virginia snapped the ball too early), there was no way that the Cavaliers should have been the ones benefitting from their own infraction.
Ever since their expansion to 18 schools last year, the ACC has been working on ways to improve travel. But after that horrendous call in the Virginia-Pitt game on Saturday, they should probably start working on ways to improve their refereeing instead.
