Central Michigan Upsets With Incredible Hail Mary After Officiating Error

The play never should have happened.

Central Michigan broke a lot of Oklahoma hearts when it pulled off one the craziest last-minute plays of the season on Saturday.

Down by three points and no time left on the clock, Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush launched a 51-yard throw to Jesse Kroll, who managed to catch the ball before lateraling it to Corey Willis for the game-winning touchdown. It’s a thing of beauty.

But after the game, the game’s referee and conference officials said that the incredible play should never have happened: referees incorrectly awarded Central Michigan an untimed final down.

Oklahoma State had intentionally grounded the ball, and referees gave Central Michigan a final play, which is not as NCAA rules dictates. The game should have ended after the intentional grounding, with an Oklahoma State win.

Nonetheless, the outcome will stand.

CMU managed to drop jaws two years ago when pulling off an incredible series of laterals for a 75-yard touchdown. They didn’t win that time, but they can certainly celebrate now.

This article has been updated to include a statement from the Mid-American Conference.

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