Ref in MSU onside kick mess has history of controversial calls

Umpire Keith Vaverchak sparked controversy with a questionable call during Michigan State's onside kick recovery against Illinois. The freshman receiver, Samson Gash, caught the well-placed chip shot from Liam Boyd along the Illinois sideline, but Vaverchak threw a flag for offsides. Video replays showed Gash was behind the line of scrimmage when Boyd's foot made contact with the ball.

Former official Mike Pereira disagreed with the call, stating Gash was not offsides as he hadn't reached the line yet. The Big Ten reviewed the play, with referee Mark Kluczynski initially changing the call to out-of-bounds but later agreeing Gash was inbounds. MSU fans celebrated the negation of the penalty, only for Kluczynski to change it back, costing the Spartans time.

Both Michigan State and Illinois coaches were frustrated by the confusion. Vaverchak has a history of controversial calls, including one against Minnesota in 2024 where he ruled the Minnesota quarterback offsides during an onside kick. The Big Ten subsequently changed its officiating rules to position more officials in the correct area for onside kicks.