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ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk criticizes officials for missing critical penalty on Emeka Egubka TD

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax09/15/25BarkleyTruax
Emeka Egbuka first NFL touchdown
© Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The officials appeared to miss a pivotal call during Monday Night Football’s Week 2 game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans. The play resulted in a touchdown.

Bucs offensive tackle Charlie Heck appeared to trip a Texans defender on a touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka from Baker Mayfield in the second quarter. However, it wasn’t called. Rules analyst Russell Yurk provided an explanation during the ESPN broadcast.

“You look, No. 77 extends his leg and trips the defender up,” Yurk said. “That should have been a foul for tripping, it would have been 15 yards from the spot of that trip.”

While the trip wasn’t called, the 15-yard touchdown reception did. This continues a fast start for Egbuka during his rookie season out of Ohio State. During the Bucs’ 23-20 Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, he caught four of his six targets for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

It’s not a complete surprise to Egbuka already playing a large role for the Buccaneers. He was reportedly impressive during the team’s training camp and has been excited to contribute to the team.

After all, Tampa has high hopes for the former Buckeyes wideout after selecting him 19th overall during the 2025 NFL Draft this offseason. He certainly proved his worth during college.

At Ohio State, Egbuka tallied a career-high 81 receptions in his senior season for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns. With the standout campaign, he joined Marvin Harrison Jr. as only the second player in program history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

For his efforts, he was named an All-Big Ten Third-Team selection. He was also a team captain on the Buckeyes, guiding them to their first national championship since 2014. Egbuka notched six catches for 64 yards in the win, which was ultimately his final game at the collegiate level — not a bad way to go out.

Egbuka’s all-conference selection in the 2024 campaign was far from the only accolade he collected during his illustrious collegiate career. He is a two-time All-Big Ten Third-Team selection, one-time All-Big Ten Second-Team member and three-time Academic all-conference honoree. Moreover, His 205 career receptions are the most in school history. So not only is he a national champion, but he’ll be in the Buckeyes record books for the foreseeable future.

Fans can tune into the Buccaneers’ Monday night matchup against the Texans live on ESPN. Tampa is looking to improve to 2-0 on the young season with a victory.