Did North Carolina defensive back Marcus Allen get robbed of an interception in the first quarter against Clemson?
Allen appeared to intercept Cade Klubnik in the end zone when he snatched the ball away from Clemson wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. Wesco got his hands on the ball as the two fell to the ground out of the back of the end zone but Allen appeared to retain control the entire time. Take a look.
Officials conferred after the play and didn’t call it an interception or a touchdown catch. Instead, they agreed the pass was incomplete even though the ball never hit the ground.
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The play was quickly reviewed by the ACC’s replay command center, though the call on the field was upheld with no further explanation. Saturday’s game on ESPN was not one of the ACC games with a live look into the review process for fans, so those watching on TV were unable to hear why the call on the field wasn’t changed to an interception.
ESPN rules analyst Jerry McGinn said on the broadcast that it was clear to him that Allen had control of the ball with his foot down in the end zone. After the play was upheld, McGinn speculated that officials determined that no player had clear control of the ball when Allen and Wesco were out of bounds.
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North Carolina trailed 21-3 when the play happened and instead of getting the ball at the 20-yard line via a touchback, Clemson retained possession. And sure enough, the Tigers scored four plays later for a 25-point lead.
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