Trailing 21-10 against Penn State in the second quarter on Saturday, Ohio State’s Damon Webb came up with a game-changing interception that didn’t count.
This penalized Ohio State defender didn’t commit pass interference, but his teammate did
Refs made a fair call on the wrong guy.
Webb, playing safety, came over the top to help cornerback Damon Arnette against Penn State receiver Brandon Polk. Webb cleanly picked off the ball without making any contact with Polk until well after he’d secured the catch.
Officials called pass interference against Webb, giving Penn State another chance — and bumping the Nittany Lions up 15 yards to the Ohio State 6. Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley scored a touchdown on the next play.
If pass interference did happen here, it certainly wasn’t committed by Webb. The penalty call should’ve been against Arnette — if there was going to be a penalty at all.
(The game’s official scorer lists the call as being against Arnette. That’s different than what the referee announced, and it’s not clear where that disconnect comes from.)
But that’s not the point. This is: Did the Buckeyes deserve a PI call at all?
By the book, it’s the right call. The rulebook says:
Defensive pass interference is contact beyond the neutral zone by a [defensive] player whose intent to impede an eligible opponent is obvious and could prevent the opponent the opportunity of receiving a catchable forward pass.
Arnette starts grabbing Polk around the 12-yard line when the receiver has a step on him and is running toward the corner. Polk slows down as a result of the grab. It seems more than clear that Arnette’s intent is to keep Polk from making a catch.
Depending on when the ball was thrown, this might be classified as defensive holding, not pass interference. But either one is a foul that would nullify the interception.
A lot of people didn’t like this call. It’s a fair decision to question, because some sort of grabbing happens on plays like this all the time, and it’s not always called. Determining what’s worth a penalty is a process that gets felt out during every individual game.
But the rule’s the rule, and Arnette grabbed the receiver to slow him down. The flag came in on the wrong guy, but Ohio State still earned a penalty.
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