Houston on the Wrong End of Costly Bad Spot Late in Loss to Texas

No. 8 Texas held on to beat Houston, 31–24, at TDECU Stadium in controversial style on Saturday.

With just 1:03 remaining in the game, Houston was faced with third-and-1 at the Texas 10-yard line. The Cougars handed the ball to running back Stacy Sneed who appeared to gain enough for a first down, down to the Texas 9-yard line. However, the referees marked the ball back at the 10-yard line, forcing a fourth-and-inches.

After the bad spot, Houston quarterback Donovan Smith’s pass to Stephon Johnson was broken up at the Texas 8-yard line.

As Fox’s Tim Brando stated on the telecast: “The spot will be talked about for a long, long time.”

The college football world exploded with strong reactions as the referees had unfortunately affected the outcome of the game, taking a new set of downs away from the Cougars.