OU vs Oregon…refs suspended.

espn.com – NORMAN, Okla. — The Pacific-10 Conference suspended for one game the officiating crew and the instant replay officials that worked Saturday’s Oklahoma-Oregon football game after finding mistakes were made in calls near the end of the contest.

Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen said Monday that a review by conference officials of video of the game revealed that both the instant replay officials and the game officials assigned by the conference made errors in the final minute and 12 seconds of the game.

Oklahoma lost the game 34-33 after Oregon scored two touchdowns near the end of the game.

An onside kick by Oregon after its first late touchdown was touched by a Ducks player before it traveled the required 10 yards, and the Pac-10 ruled that the ball should have been awarded to Oklahoma. The league also said that video revealed that an Oklahoma player actually recovered the ball.

Officials on the field gave the ball to Oregon, and replay officials did not overturn that decision.

During a subsequent play, pass interference was called on Oklahoma, setting up the winning score. The Sooners argued that the ball had been tipped at the line of scrimmage, thereby nullifying the pass interference call.

Replay officials did not see indisputable evidence to overturn the penalty.

“The fact that the errors on the onside kick altered the outcome of the game is most unfortunate and unsettling,” Hansen said in a statement. “We had a solid veteran crew assigned, and the instant replay official had a fine career as a referee in the Pac-10. We believe in the ability and integrity of each individual involved. It should be noted that not all of the seven officials were directly involved in the play in question, but the entire crew bears responsibility for every play. Game officials and replay officials have positions of great responsibility and must be accountable for their actions.

“Errors clearly were made and not corrected, and for that we apologize to the University of Oklahoma, coach Bob Stoops and his players. They played an outstanding college football game, as did Oregon, and it is regrettable that the outcome of the contest was affected by the officiating.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.