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Officiating crew announced for Ohio State vs. Georgia in College Football Playoff

On3 imageby: Andrew Graham12/30/22AndrewEdGraham
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SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 21: Referee's meet on the field before the start of a PAC12 football game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Washington Huskies on November 21, 2020, at Husky Stadium in Seattle, WA. (Photo by Jeff Halstead/Icon Sportswire)

Ohio State and Georgia have pulled a Pac 12 officiating crew for their College Football Playoff semifinals matchup in the Peach Bowl on Saturday night, according to Football Zebras. Every member of the on-field crew called a bowl game last season.

Chris Coyte will be the referee, and he was also an official on a conference championship game officiating crew, as is head line judge Darryl Johnson. Johnson is the only member of the crew to work a College Football Playoff game last season.

Two officials on the crew, Dale Keller and Joe Johnston, are (or were) officials in non-NFL pro football leagues.

The full officiating crew for the Peach Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinal is as follows:

  • Chris Coyte, referee
  • Greg Adams, umpire
  • Darryl Johnson, head line judge
  • Dale Keller, line judge
  • Steve Currie, field judge
  • Jeff Dahle, side judge
  • Joe Johnston, back judge
  • John Love, center judge
  • Steve Strimling, alternate
  • Jerry Meyerhoff, replay
  • Terry Leyden, communicator

The Peach Bowl was going to get an officiating crew from the Big 12, Pac 12 or ACC; the Big Ten and SEC were out because Ohio State and Georgia compete in those respective leagues.

The Bulldogs are 12th nationally in penalties per game, being flagged just fewer than four and a half times a game in 13 contest. The Buckeyes haven’t been as clean, tied for 53rd nationally in penalties per contest, being called for 5.75 a game.

But the raw penalty yards doesn’t really bear this out, as Georgia is 42nd in the country in penalty yards with 598 as opposed to the Buckeyes, tied at 43rd with 600.

In a game poised to be dominated by the star power on both sides of the field — Jalen Carter and Marvin Harrison Jr., to name just two — it would take a lot for the officiating crew to overshadow affairs.