It looked like Nebraska had scored a touchdown on a 50-50 possession in the second quarter to take a 17-10 lead over Illinois football on Friday night, but Fighting Illini cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. intercepted a ball after reviewing it.
Although the ball initially appeared to be in the possession of both Cornhuskers receivers Isaiah Neyor and Cox Jr., and Neyor scored the tiebreaker touchdown, the referees replayed the moment and ruled it an interception for Illinois. It was a nice break for the Fighting Illini, who regained possession of the ball and kept the score at 10-10 at that point.
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Nebraska true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola threw a fantastic ball on the play, but Cox Jr. defended the throw better.
Here’s an explanation of why Illinois was called for an interception on this confusing play:
What is simultaneous possession?
Illinois had to intercept a pass midway through the second quarter against Nebraska on Friday night, but it didn’t happen without a consultation with the referees.
The 50-50 pass from Raiola to Neyor was initially ruled a touchdown because Neyor appeared to get the ball before Cox Jr. appeared to take the ball from him and take it himself. However, after replaying the play, the referees ruled it an interception.
According to the NCAA playbook, a catch is defined as follows:
“Gains possession of a live ball in flight (Rule 2-4-1); or 2. Leaves his feet and makes a firm grip on a live ball in flight, the ball first touching the ground in the court while still in his grip; or 3. Leaves his feet, makes a firm grip on a live ball in flight, and either first returns to the ground with any part of his body in the court or is held in such a way that the dead ball provisions of Rule 4-1-3-p apply.”
Meanwhile, the definition of a simultaneous catch is somewhat different.
“A simultaneous catch or recovery is a catch or recovery in which opposing players in the field of play are in joint possession of a live ball,” the rule book states.
That is, since Cox Jr. was awarded an interception, Neyor and Cox Jr. were not considered to have simultaneous possession, otherwise the receiver would have the tiebreaker and a touchdown would have been possible. This is in stark contrast to the Packers’ infamous debacle against the Seahawks in 2012, now known as the “Fail Mary,” when backup referees ruled simultaneous possession on a clear interception.
Cox’s play was more clearly in favor of the Fighting Illini, holding onto the ball even longer than Golden Tate did for Seattle that fateful day. But even now, 12 years later (the anniversary is Tuesday), simultaneous possession is still a rule that can be difficult to call in real time.
