Replay official Peter Vaas took a look at another complicated play. The ruling on the field was a fumble recovered in bounds by Alabama.
Both aspects (pass vs. fumble; recovery in bounds) are reviewable. It appears that the ball was coming loose before Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett moves his hand forward. On the recovery, Alabama defender Alab Brian Branch appeared to have his toes maybe one or two pixels inside the white to keep his foot entirely on the green. To reverse either aspect, replay would need indisputable video evidence. They did not have evidence to the contrary of the ruling on the field, therefore they determined that the ruling "stands."
It was also good presence of mind by Heydt to announce that if the ruling was a pass, there would have been intentional grounding because there was no receiver in the area. As discussed earlier, this announcement is required to allow the foul to come into play should replay reverse to a pass.
There are a couple interesting mechanics discussions to be had on this long touchdown play.
Back judge Keith Parham would have preferred to be on the end line in the back of the end zone, stationary when this pass arrived rather than on the run. However, this is not always realistic. The official still needs to be able to see all aspects of the play and not be solely concerned with sprinting to get to a certain spot on the field. As legendary NFL line judge Byron Boston would say, "I would rather have an official than a racehorse." Parham did a good job of officiating the play as presented to him, not being locked into a mechanic just for the sake of doing something by the book.
Field judge Ryan Flynn is in great position. He finds the pylon, gets stopped, and watches the action play out in front of him. Because Parham was on the run, it may have been good for him to make eye contact with Flynn to make sure he did not see anything different.
Finally, since Parham had run up to sell the touchdown (which he does excellently), he is right there when Georgia receiver Adonai Mitchell has the temptation to taunt the Alabama defender laying on the ground. Parham makes his presence known and strongly encourages Mitchell to go celebrate with his teammates and not earn a flag. Although some might opt for less firm "policing" on this athletic play, Parham did what he felt necessary to prevent a heated exchange.
So I would have put in Flanagan over Heydt. Very messy game officiating wise. The fumble was close, and Alabama got away with a blatant push off on their only touchdown. You could hear the UGA fans moaning and even throwing crap on the field at one point.
Duane Heydt led this ACC crew to a well-officiated CFP National Championship Game. It felt like every foul and play had some extra aspect to it - but that's how it is when you have two excellent teams playing at the top of their ability. "Normal" doesn't apply in games like these, and officials have to step up to make heated judgments and apply complicated rules situations. This crew showed us why they were the ones selected.
Twice, replay official Peter Vaas had to step in and review aspects of a play. Both were pass/fumble determinations and had other complications to them.
The crew may not like the disconcerting signals call at the beginning of the game after reviewing their film, and if you polled officiating experts, the percentage of "correct call" votes may not be high on the fairly technical kick catch interference.
However, all other fouls were clearly there. The crew communicated when necessary, and did not entertain long discussions that distracted from the flow of the game. Lesser-known rules seemed routine, and the essentials of mechanics, ball movement, and penalty enforcement looked easy. What an accomplishment to work the highest assignment at your level, and this crew will leave the field proud of their work tonight.
Crew: Referee- Duane Heydt Umpire- Johnnie Forte (Mullins) CJ- Adam Savoie (Mullins) HL- Matt Fitzgerald (Woods) LJ- Steve Matarante (Mullins) SJ- Jeff Shears (Flanagan) BJ- Keith Parham (Woods) FJ- Ryan Flynn (Roche)
At least Keith Parham did well to bounce back after his short NFL stint didnt go well. Any other officials get fired by the NFL who ended up doing well going back to CFB?