{
  "id": 16403261,
  "title": "College Football Officials Under Fire After Controversial UCF-BYU Ending",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/college-football-officials-under-fire-after-controversial-ucf-byu",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-25T00:55:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/sports/ncaa/college-football-officials-under-fire-after-controversial-ucf-byu-ending-12615143"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The controversial ending to the UCF-BYU college football game has left officials facing criticism. Following a 39-31 loss to UCF in double overtime, the No. 2 Cougars were penalized for roughing the kicker, providing the Knights with a first down and ultimately the game-winning touchdown. Replays of the incident seemed to indicate that BYU's Kendal Wall unintentionally fell into the kicker while falling to the ground from a block, leading to questions about whether the foul met the standard of roughing the kicker. The penalty resulted in UCF receiving an additional ten seconds, which some fans believed extended the game too long. Pat Forde called the ending \"the messiest thing I’ve ever seen,\" while others questioned whether the officials had \"no idea what’s going on.\" The UCF-BYU game's ending has sparked outrage and debate among fans and analysts alike.",
  "summary": "The Big 12 officiating crew is once again facing scrutiny for calls late in a college football game between BYU and UCF.",
  "key_points": [
    "UCF-BYU game ended in controversial double overtime",
    "BYU penalized for roughing the kicker, leading to UCF touchdown",
    "Critics question officials' understanding of the rules"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The disputed penalty highlights how subjective officiating calls can directly alter game outcomes and fuel intense scrutiny regarding the consistency of rules applied during high-stakes college football matchups.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}