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Nothing comes easy for USC football these days. What should have been a routine drubbing of California was instead a 50-49 shootout that the Trojans barely survived this past Saturday.
The game featured superb performances, little defense, late-game thrills and an incredibly outlandish officiating blunder. This Golden State showdown had everything but actual high stakes attached to it.
The aforementioned blunder occurred at the end of the first half. USC was due for a field goal attempt before time expired, but the referees mismanaged the clock. Hence, the teams were sent to the locker room. A correction was made after halftime that permitted the Trojans to retroactively attempt the kick, with one second being added back to the clock.
Unfortunately, the USC football kicker missed the 33-yard chip shot anyways. The bizarre incident made its way through the conference.
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly weighed in on the botch. “That’s a first,” he said, per Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. “There’s a lot of firsts in Pac-12 officiating.”
Oof. Kelly said it all without directly even firing a shot at the league refs. He must have learned that from “How to roast an official without incurring a fine from the NCAA,” mandatory reading for any aspiring coach. Seriously, though, the last thing the Pac-12 needs is more bad optics.
Despite having six teams ranked inside the top 25 and two in the top six, 2023 will forever be known as the year the conference embarrassingly collapsed. Such a debacle gives fans ample reason to survey the scene for other signs of incompetence. This field goal mistake, along with Chip Kelly's comments, will ensure that the Pac-12 is subjected to more ridicule.
