Rules expert Terry McAulay blasts Texas A&M fanbase after pointing out missed holding call on game-winning play

Following a seeming missed holding call that he pointed out on the pivotal go-ahead score in a game between Notre Dame and Texas A&M on Saturday night, rules expert Terry McAulay is on the defensive. He called Aggies fans “vitriolic, childish, and ignorant of officiating and rules” for how they’ve handled his observation.

The non-call in question came with about 15 seconds to play in the game, as Notre Dame rushed up the middle. A defensive lineman was essentially tackled around the neck, but officials did not throw a flag.

Seconds later Marcel Reed found Nate Boerkircher for the game-winning score. Texas A&M would win 41-40.

But it was McAulay who pointed out the missed holding call. And the backlash he reportedly received from Texas A&M fans for doing so was over the top, he said.

“I didn’t think it was possible for any fanbase with which I interact with on X to be as vitriolic, childish, and ignorant of officiating and rules than the Tennessee fanbase, but in about 12 hours, the Texas A&M fanbase has done it,” McAulay wrote. “They are the new leader in the clubhouse. No small fete.

“Note the Longhorns’ fanbase tried last year after the missed targeting in the ASU game, but fell woefully short.”

As for the non-call itself, McAulay was quick to point out the miss on Twitter in the moments after. He even provided a lengthy explanation of how the Texas A&M grab was likely missed, complete with a graphic of where the individual officials were looking at the time of the hold.

“This was just a patently egregious missed offensive holding foul,” McAulay wrote on Twitter. “Game, time, score are all irrelevant. It should be called anytime and every time it occurs.”

He then followed up with a post with the graphic noted above. He summed things up:

“In summary, it was a total mechanical breakdown by at least two, maybe three, officials who should have called this,” McAulay wrote.

In any case, Texas A&M fans were content to go home with the win, though perhaps not as content to let the comments about the missed hold slide. At least, not judging by McAulay’s reaction on Sunday.