OGDEN — The Big Sky Conference acknowledged Monday that officials failed to call a penalty near the end of Northern Colorado’s 28-27 victory over North Dakota on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Northern Colorado had 12 men on defense when it stopped North Dakota on a fourth-and-1 play from the Bears’ 34-yard line with 35 seconds remaining. Game officials missed the infraction, which should have resulted in a 5-yard penalty and a first down for North Dakota.
Northern Colorado instead took over possession and was able to run out the clock.
“We have to take accountability in these kinds of situations,’’ said Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton. “This is a major downgrade for every individual on the crew. As we’ve stated in the past, we don’t normally comment about officiating, but when a mistake occurs in the administration of the rules, we must take responsibility for the error. We are apologetic when these mistakes happen.’’
— Big Sky Conference
