Big 12 acknowledges officiating error in K-State loss to Oklahoma State

The Big 12 acknowledged an officiating error occurred during Oklahoma State’s 36-34 victory against Kansas State on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.

“Accuracy and adherence to conference policies and officiating mechanics are vital to the proper administration of the rules in all games,” said Walt Anderson, supervisor of the league’s officials in a statement released by the Big 12. “Disciplinary actions will be addressed with both the field officials and chain crew.”

The mistake took place late in the second quarter when the chains were incorrectly set following a holding penalty.

Oklahoma State was penalized for holding on a first-and-10 play from the K-State 45. The next play should have been first-and-20 from the OSU 45. Instead, it was first-and-15, because the first-down marker was mistakenly moved back five yards with the 10-yard penalty instead of staying in its original place.

The Cowboys lost yardage on their next play and then gained four yards on a reception, setting up a third-and-18 that should have been a third-and-23. Quarterback Mason Rudolph then completed a pass to Marcell Ateman for 19 yards, giving the Cowboys a first down just past the K-State 40 instead of the K-State 35.

Officials didn’t catch the mistake, and Oklahoma State’s drive continued.

The Cowboys went on to score a touchdown on the drive, pulling to within 28-20 with 46 seconds remaining in the half. They won 36-34 on a last-minute field goal.

K-State coaches didn’t noticeably contest the error at the time, and many inside Boone Pickens Stadium were unaware of the mistake. But it showed up on the game’s play-by-play chart when the first-and-20 became a first-and-15 without a play taking place. And it was obvious to everyone watching on TV, as the Fox Sports 1 crew broadcasting the game labeled the downs correctly. On the third down conversion, Ateman appeared to fall well short of the made-for-TV yellow first-down line.

Bill Snyder noticed the error, but had little to say about it.

“I am trying to think what the official told me about it,” Snyder said. “I can’t remember right now.”

K-State defensive back arrested — Cre Moore, a sophomore Kansas State cornerback, was arrested early Sunday morning by Riley County police.

The arrest occurred at 3:26 a.m. in the 1900 block of Poyntz. Riley County police did not release a reason for the arrest, and would not comment when reached by The Eagle, saying they would share more details in a news release at a future time.

Moore was confined following the arrest. His bond was not set as of 6 a.m. when Riley County police released its daily arrest report.

Moore is a backup cornerback for the Wildcats. He redshirted and then played in five games last season. He made one tackle against Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Kenny Lannou, K-State’s assistant athletic director for athletics communications, said the K-State football team will handle the matter internally.

This story was originally published October 4, 2015 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Big 12 acknowledges officiating error in K-State loss to Oklahoma State."