Oregon Ducks Suspicious Officiating Called Into Question After Week 3

Oregon Ducks linebacker Devon Jackson was flagged for roughing the passer after what looked like a legal hit on Oregon State Beavers quarterback Gevani McCoy.

Oregon State Beavers running back Anthony Hankerson (0) runs the ball to score a touchdown in the first half of the annual rivalry game against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore. / Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the No. 9 Oregon Ducks dismantled the Oregon State Beavers, some questionable calls were made by the officiating crew. Not exclusive to the Ducks and Beavers, games across the country were impacted by referee decisions.  

College football media personality Josh Pate used part of his show to criticize the quality of officiating in the sport.

He said, “College football is the greatest sport in the face of the earth. I love it. I will fight for it. It is a multi-billion dollar sport with the most nickel and dime officiating arm that you could ever imagine. We are so so far behind on accountability and standard of officiating.”

Oregon State Beavers running back Anthony Hankerson (0) runs the ball to score a touchdown in the first half of the annual rivalry game against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore. / Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the second quarter of Oregon’s rivalry game with Oregon State, redshirt sophomore Devon Jackson was penalized for a hit against Beavers quarterback Gevani McCoy as he was throwing the ball. The white hate official announced the penalty as roughing the passer as well as targeting, even though it appeared Jackson did not make any contact with the head or neck area of McCoy.

After review, the officials took away the targeting call but the 15 yard penalty for roughing the passer remained. Pate used the call against Jackson as one of many examples of bad calls.

“Gevani McCoy. His throw is interrupted, his throwing hand hits the helmet of the defender,” said Pate. “[Devon Jackson] doesn’t tackle him to the ground, nothing forcible. He’s flagged, roughing the passer.”

Instead of forcing Oregon State off the field, the penalty gave the Beavers an automatic first down in the red zone, and they scored a touchdown a few plays later before the first half ended. One could argue that the penalty against the Ducks essentially changed the halftime score from 22-7 to 22-14.

Personal foul, hitting a quarterback too hard

They need to fix this rule. No targeting but the 15 yard penalty stood anyways for “roughing the passer”

Ridiculous. Oregon State scored on this drive

pic.twitter.com/qzc3d7t1ck

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 15, 2024

This issue is not contained to the Oregon Ducks, however. Questionable calls were made in different conferences in games all over the country. Most notably, a South Carolina pick-six was called back after a controversial penalty because a Gamecock blocked the LSU quarterback on the return.

The flag wiped a touchdown off the board, and South Carolina was unable to pull off the upset over LSU.

“I want to apologize to every one of you ‘cause college football officiating is so bad right now. We got a major issue in the sport,” said Pate.

Sep 7, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Boise State Broncos wide receiver Austin Bolt (81) picks up a first down on a pass play during the first half against Oregon Ducks linebacker Devon Jackson (26) at Autzen Stadium. / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The changes happening in college football are often about money, whether it be Name, Image, and Likeness laws or conference realignment deals. With such inconsistent officiating, Pate points out the irony between the money made from the sport compared to the funds directed towards the referees.

“It’s an insane problem to have for a sport that is a multi-billion dollar sport,” said Pate. “We got guys, they’re not full-time officials. They’re working at a car dealership Monday through Thursday. I’m not even saying it’s their fault. It shouldn’t be in their hands to screw up.”

Not much can be done by Oregon when it comes to changes in the officiating, although Ducks fans are certainly relieved that the referees have not decided any of the team's first three games. It will be interesting to see how the officials do in week four as the Oregon Ducks have an off week.

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