It looked like Utah had taken a 14-0 lead. Kaelin Clay had beaten everybody on the Oregon defense and sprinted into the end zone for a 78-yard TD. But the refs didn't signal touchdown ... and Oregon somehow was running the other way ... and the refs signalled an Oregon touchdown.
What happened?
Via ESPN
Yes, it was the DeSean Jackson. Clay pretty clearly dropped the ball right before entering the end zone.
The ball sat there for a few seconds as Oregon realized it actually hadn't been a TD. After some scuffling in the end zone and another fumble, Oregon's Joe Walker ran back with a convoy for a 99-yard touchdown for Oregon.
Some have pointed out that Walker went out of bounds before recovering the ball, which seems like it should be illegal touching, but that rule doesn't apply.
This led to one hell of a play description:
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Clay was absolutely heartbroken:
— Lindsey Scott (@lindseymscott) November 9, 2014
Wanna hear something crazy? Clay went to the same high school as DeSean Jackson -- Long Beach Poly -- and when he committed to Cal out of high school, he credited Jackson as a main factor in the decision.
Wide receiver/running back/return man Kaelin Clay was the recipient of a pleasant surprise a few weeks ago, when the coaching staff at Cal invited him up for a visit. He immediately fell in love, and committed on the spot. "It's a college town, it's great." His decision was also about legacy, and following in the footsteps of DeSean Jackson, another speedy receiver from Poly. "He's one of my idols," Clay said. "But really, it was the academics more than football-Berkeley is the number one public school in America."
He left Cal for Utah his freshman year. We last met Clay in happier times, when he "paid homage" to Desmond Howard with a Heisman pose in the Michigan end zone.
The momentum swing was absolutely massive. The Utes had an opportunity to be up 14-0 on the No. 5 team in the country. Instead, it was a tie game. They went onto lose 51-27. It was a 14-point, 178-yard swing, a lot of wind out of Utah's sails, and an error that will go down in the history books as one of the silliest blunders ever.