The controversial lack of a replay during a clear Oregon interception leads to a TD on Ohio State’s first drive

No. 3 Oregon should have gotten an interception on No. 2 Ohio State’s first drive of the game.

Will Kacmarek was credited with a 32-yard catch from Will Howard, but Kacmarek never seemed to have control of the ball. When he spun the ball around, it never hit the ground and Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa grabbed it as well. As the two players briefly fought for the ball, Bassa gained possession of the ball.

Take a look at how it turned out.

Ohio State realized that Kacmarek’s catch might not be valid, so the Buckeyes rushed to the line of scrimmage for a rushing play with Quinshon Judkins. This strategy worked. The Big Ten replay center did not signal the officiating team on the field that the catch needed to be reviewed before Ohio State got the snapoff.

Two plays after Judkins’ run, Howard rushed one yard for a touchdown and a 7-0 Ohio State lead.

From the replay reviews, it appears that Kacmarek never had control of the ball long enough to consider the ball a catch. And since Bassa had the ball at the end and it never touched the ground, it was clearly an interception.

At least the piece should have been reviewed. And part of that also affects Oregon. The Ducks could have called a timeout to ensure the play was reviewed. Instead, nothing happened and Ohio State scored its first touchdown in the first top-three matchup of the 2024 season.