While it's clear that the Notre Dame football team didn't play anywhere near its best game of the season against Boston College, that doesn't mean the refs needed to help the Eagles out. And yet, at least one of BC's scores came in large part to a wrong call. An incorrect call that refs have apparently admitted was ... wrong.
The call in question was on a 4th and 3 play where the Irish seemed to have stopped Bill O'Brien's squad with a massive sack by defensive lineman Joshua Burnham. However, after ND started celebrating the end of the drive, the refs called Burnham for a facemask penalty that kept BC's drive going, eventually allowing Boston College to make the score 12-10. At the time, it was a massive switch in vibes that had some fans worried Marcus Freeman's squad would find a way to lose to one of the worst P4 programs in the country.
ACC refs admitted they robbed Notre Dame's Joshua Burnham of a sack
While the Irish ended up taking control and winning the game 25-10, it was the continued incompetence by refs who have plagued ND of late that was bothersome. And of course, worrying as it was clear Burnham had not committed a facemask penalty.
Earlier this week, Burnham, as well as Notre Dame's defensive backs coach Al Washington talked about the play. Burnham claimed that he's been told ACC refs admitted, they made the wrong call.
"Frustrating, but what are you going to do?" Burnham said while talking to the media. Washington chimed in that the refs took a sack away from him.
Both men made it clear they were ready to move on at this point. But it's one of those situations Notre Dame will have in the back of its mind, the next time the referees make a call that isn't right.