Jason Benetti, Robert Griffin III blast Big 12 officials over lengthy replay review in Kansas State vs. Arizona

With just over 10 minutes to go in Friday’s matchup between Kansas State vs. Arizona, the officials went to the replay monitor to review whether a U of A player got the first down. The referees reviewed the play for about five minutes of real time before ultimately overturning the call, and the FOX broadcast crew didn’t hold back.

Jason Benetti and Robert Griffin III had the call for FOX as the replay clearly showed the runner getting past the line to gain. But the officials stayed at the monitor, looking at the angles and determining whether Arizona got a first down.

Benetti voiced his displeasure with the delay. While noting the magnitude of the call, he wondered if there would maybe be an issue with the replay center or another reason it took so long.

“This is taking a while, which goes without saying,” Benetti said. “It’s a pivotal moment in this game. We have not seen anything that suggests he was down. I don’t know what it would be, unless there was an issue with the replay booth where replay wasn’t able to use its equipment or something like that. This is taking forever.”

Griffin agreed, although he acknowledged such delays usually happen when the clock comes into play. That wasn’t the case in this instance.

“Usually when it takes this long, it’s because they’re having to figure out what’s going on with the clock, where are they actually going to spot the ball, when’s the clock starting?” Griffin said. “There’s a lot that goes into these replay processes, but I don’t disagree with you, Jason.”

Mike Pereira ‘flummoxed’ by lengthy replay review

As the delay continued, Jason Benetti again questioned how it was taking so long to determine what appeared to be a cut-and-dry call. He even joked the “assistant to the regional manager” – referring to Dwight Schrute from The Office as a fan held up a poster of the iconic character – couldn’t even help.

“I mean, how is this taking this long?” Benetti said. “That is a clear first down. Everyone at home thinks it’s a first down. There’s got to be some issue with the replay room, the booth or something like that.”

That’s when the broadcast called in rules analyst Mike Pereira. He, too, couldn’t understand why the review lasted as long as it did.

“There’s nothing else tied to this,” Pereira said. “There’s no, like, 10-second run-off, there’s nothing to do with the clock. I am flummoxed as to why this is taking so long. The left knee is down. We don’t get a great look, but regardless, it’s just amazing to me unless [like] you say, unless the equipment is down – which is a rare occurrence. This decision should’ve been made three minutes ago.”

Ultimately, the referee came out and announced the overturned call, giving Arizona a key first down. Benetti then put an exclamation point on the moments.

“We all knew that seven minutes ago,” Benetti said. “The frustrating part about this – as somebody who’s a fan of college football – is this game had a ton of momentum. Brent Brennan’s trying to bring it back now. This is a very good football game that was needlessly stopped for way too long.”