Game-Winning Touchdown in Dispute: Did the Ball Hit the Ground?

Washington linebacker Mason Foster was named Pac-10 defensive player of the week on Monday after he scored the game-winning touchdown off a deflected interception in Saturday's win over Arizona. But there's one big problem with Foster's big play: Many viewers don't think his interception should have counted at all.

These are the facts: With 2:49 left in the game, Arizona led 33-28 and was attempting to run out the clock when Arizona quarterback Nick Foles threw a screen pass to Delashaun Dean. After a bounce, Foster plucked the ball out of the air and ran to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

This is the dispute: Did the ball bounce off the ground, or off Dean's foot? The officials on the field ruled that it hit Dean's foot, and that Foster caught the ball before it ever hit the ground. That ruling was upheld on replay. But many viewers, especially Arizona fans, think it hit the ground.

These images, in particular, have been seized on by Arizona fans who say the ball hit the ground, and the play should have been ruled an incomplete pass. Washington fans, however, say the angle the ball took on the bounce indicates that it was bouncing off Dean's foot, not off the ground.

So what's the truth? Did the ball hit the ground, or did it just hit Dean's foot? Tell me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-12-2009 @ 6:19PM

Ski said...

Looks Like It Hit The Ground First.

10-12-2009 @ 6:22PM

greatqb44 said...

The ground..but nothing to do about it now...just ask Mizzou and Miami

10-12-2009 @ 11:00PM

Jim said...

Mizzou and Miami? You must be referring to the "fifth down" TD scored by Colorado against Missouri in 1990. That call was wrong and everyone, including the officials, agreed that it was wrong.

Miami? You apparently refer to the fourth-down pass interference call against Miami in the 2002 championship game. On that play, however, the call was made correctly according to the commissioner of the Big 12, where Terry Porter worked during the season. Many others agree that the call was correct. Mike Stoops of Miami told his defenders to play aggressively on that play because "no one is going to make that call." Now, the officials did blow four (yes, FOUR) calls on two consecutive plays during Ohio State's last drive that would have pretty much meant the game would have ended 17-14 in regulation. Replay was a few years away at that point, but even the Associated Press ran a story saying that its view of the sideline catch by Chris Gamble (after having his jersey streched out twice on the play by the Miami defender) was clearly in bounds, but was ruled out of bounds. So, even if the last call by Porter was wrong, at least the right team won the game in the end, unlike in the Colorado-Mizzou game.

10-12-2009 @ 6:42PM

norse7112 said...

clean catch...lucky, but clean

10-12-2009 @ 7:56PM

FLACO said...

If you zoom in on your dvr the ball clearly hits the ground and his foot which explains the strange bounce it took...

10-13-2009 @ 2:01PM

marshall said...

Lets call that a ground down instead of touch down.Will just shows the economy taking its toll on the refs.Line them pocket sham sham.

10-12-2009 @ 8:27PM

pahtoo said...

I was going to say "make-up" for the horrid officiating that cost the Huskies the Notre Dame game. But, after seeing it up close on this replay(and those blurry stills), it hit his foot.