Miami Touchdown Debate: Was the End Zone Catch Complete?

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Pushing The Odds with Matt Perrault

Controversial Miami Catch Raises Questions About the Touchdown Rule

Mario Cristobal had every right to be upset about Miami’s disputed catch in the end zone. The play brought back memories of the Dez Bryant catch and the many debates over what does and does not constitute a completed pass.

There was no question that Elijah Loftin caught the football with both hands and landed in the end zone with two feet inbounds. As he fell out of bounds, however, a Notre Dame defender knocked the ball from his hands.

The controversy highlights a difference between the rules for runners and receivers. If a runner extends the ball across the goal line before losing possession, the play is ruled a touchdown. In this case, Loftin caught the ball, established possession and landed inbounds after crossing the goal line, yet the pass was ruled incomplete because he did not maintain possession afterward.

By the letter of the law, the officials made the correct call. Still, the play raises the question of whether the rule should change. Possession of the football in the end zone with the required number of feet inbounds could end the play, regardless of what happens as the receiver goes to the ground or out of bounds. That would create a standard closer to the one applied when a runner breaks the plane.

Cristobal criticized the officiating after the game and expressed frustration about losing such a call at Notre Dame. Although the ruling was correct under the existing rule, it remains a difficult decision to explain logically to football fans.