Joel Klatt Furious With Controversial Call During Indiana-Michigan Game

A roughing-the-passer flag on Michigan freshman Tariq Boney gave Indiana 15 yards one week after a similar call extended a Hoosiers drive against Ohio State.

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Fox analyst Joel Klatt didn’t hold back during No. 6 Indiana’s road game against Michigan on Saturday, blasting a second-quarter roughing-the-passer flag on Wolverines freshman Tariq Boney that handed the Hoosiers 15 free yards at the Big House.

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover’s pass to receiver Nick Marsh fell incomplete from the Indiana 26 early in the second quarter, but the flag moved the ball to the 41 with a fresh set of downs. “Oh, come on, guys. What are we doing?” Klatt said.

What did Joel Klatt say?

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Gus Johnson, Klatt’s play-by-play partner on Fox’s Big Noon Saturday broadcast, reacted the same way. “Come on now. My goodness,” Johnson said.

Klatt then made clear his complaint centered on how little contact drew the flag, not on the rule itself. “I understand protecting the quarterback. But when you graze with a thumb across the forehead, like, what are we doing?” Klatt said.

Without the flag, Hoover, who entered Week 8 atop the Big Ten quarterback rankings, would have faced second-and-10 from his own 26 with Indiana leading 3-0. Instead, Indiana kept the ball with a first down at its 41, and kicker Nico Radicic later added a 34-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead.

Michigan freshman Tariq Boney flagged

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Boney, a 6-foot-1, 243-pound edge rusher, is in his first season in Ann Arbor after starring at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., where he posted 20 tackles for loss and 12 sacks as a senior.

The flag came against a Michigan defense Klatt praised all week. On his podcast, he called the Wolverines “No. 1 in the country in yards per play allowed” and predicted they would “force Hoover to make tight window throws.”

Michigan held Indiana to 87 total yards and 4-of-12 passing with 5:45 left in the second quarter, so the 15 penalty yards came within two yards of the Hoosiers’ longest play from scrimmage.

Why are Hoover hits drawing scrutiny?

Joel Klatt: "Oh, come on, guys. What are we doing?"

Gus Johnson: "Come on now. My goodness."

Joel Klatt: "I understand protecting the quarterback. But when you graze with a thumb across the forehead, like, what are we doing?" 🏈🦓🎙️ pic.twitter.com/Kakbcxhy5I

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 24, 2026

Saturday’s flag marked the second straight week a roughing call protecting Hoover drew scrutiny in a game Klatt worked. Against Ohio State, officials penalized Buckeyes cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. for roughing the passer on Indiana’s final drive with the Hoosiers trailing 19-15, waving off targeting but keeping the 15 yards. Indiana still lost 19-15, ending its 22-game winning streak.

Klatt had already voiced frustration with officiating this week. “The officiating has been hard,” Klatt said on The Joel Klatt Show. “The officials directly impacted results, and that’s not what they are supposed to be doing.”

He singled out the Notre Dame-BYU finish, where the Big 12 later admitted a clock error cost the Fighting Irish a final play.

Indiana entered Saturday at 6-1, while Michigan came in at 4-2 after a 21-18 win over Penn State.