Source: Big 12 apologizes to OSU's Mike Gundy for botched call on Texas' TD

Walt Anderson “apologized profusely” while admitting to Gundy that UT running back Joe Bergeron did indeed fumble before crossing the goal line and the touchdown call on the field was incorrect, one source said.

The source said Anderson told Gundy the call was botched by head linesman Brad Edwards, who signaled touchdown too soon without a proper view of the ball, which was fumbled before it broke the plane of the end zone. Edwards was originally positioned on the goal line on the UT sideline, then sprinted toward the pile and put his arms in the air. A second source added umpire Scott Teifer, who was watching the play from the end zone, also did not communicate properly with Edwards by telling him the ball was on the ground before it crossed the goal line.

Big 12 Associate Commissioner-Communications Bob Burda said in an email Wednesday evening that per the conference’s officiating program protocol, dialogue regularly occurs between coaches/administrators and conference staff. But the conference used its official Twitter account to refute that it acknowledged a blown call and issued an apology to OSU.

An OSU spokesman said Wednesday evening that athletic director Mike Holder was not aware an apology had been made, but could not confirm if Holder and Gundy had seen or spoken to each other that day. 

On second-and-goal from the 2 with less than a minute to play, Bergeron charged toward the end zone, and the ball was knocked free by the helmet of OSU linebacker Alex Elkins. OSU safety Daytawion Lowe then surged into the pile near the goal line and emerged with the football. Lowe sat on the turf pleading his case to Teifer as Edwards ran toward the pile and signaled touchdown.

The call of touchdown was reviewed by the replay booth, and confirmed.

Mike Pereira, the former vice president of officiating in the NFL and current Fox rules analyst, said during the game broadcast that because officials ruled the play a touchdown, an OSU player would have needed to clearly recover the ball before the scrum for the call to be overturned by replay.

Additionally, a Big 12 source told The Oklahoman that conference officials determined Sunday that the original replay decision was correct, that there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the touchdown.