WATCH: Referee error robs Tennessee of overtime touchdown vs. Purdue
After a back-and-forth affair in the Music City Bowl, Tennessee coaches, fans and players felt slighted by a controversial call from the referees which appeared to wipe away an overtime touchdown. Tennessee ultimately lost 48-45to Purdue and finished the season 7-6.
After converting a fourth-down earlier on the drive, Tennessee opted to go for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal, handing the ball to running back Jabari Small at off the right side. As he fought past defenders, his leg appeared to rest on top of a Purdue defender as he pushed his way beyond the goal line. However, the referee ruled that forward progress has stopped prior to the push into the endzone.
Former NFL referee and NBC Sports rules official Terry McAulay provided an explanation for the lack of replay review on Thursday night.
“The whistle is not relevant,” McAulay posted on Twitter. “The ruling was his forward progress was stopped short of the goal line. It’s over at that point. There is nothing replay can do with it.”
Tennessee defender takes shot at Vanderbilt
As Tennessee prepared to face Purdue in the Music City Bowl, defensive lineman Matthew Butler enjoyed his time in Nashville — particularly, on the field of the rival Vanderbilt Commodores, where the Volunteers held practice this week.
Tennessee finished the regular season with a 7-5 record in Josh Heupel’s first year at the helm of the program, and their performance was good enough for an invite to the nearby Music City Bowl. Though the game itself is played in Nissan Stadium, roughly 200 miles west of Knoxville, Tennessee’s team — Butler included — seems to be enjoying the opportunity to play in rival territory.
Butler, a fifth-year senior, is playing his last game for the Volunteers in Nashville. When asked to compare the experience of his last home game to his last collegiate game, his mind quickly wandered to Vanderbilt.
“Neyland is wonderful and I love our fans, how passionate they are and everything,” Butler said of his last home game, before smiling and pausing his speech. “It’s so funny because we’re practicing in Vanderbilt Stadium. That’s just hilarious to me. There’s nothing they can do about it. Kinda just rub it in a little bit. I thoroughly enjoy just walking on this field and stomping on the V a little bit.
“But we go into the Vanderbilt game and of course that’s my last game in Neyland, there’s all kinds of good emotion, but there’s no really differentiated thing (between that and the bowl game),” Butler said, refocusing his train of thought. “They’re both very important to me, but they’re both still football games, so we’ve got to go out there and ball.”