College football fans and media had strong reactions to an apparent officiating mistake in the 1st quarter of Alabama’s semifinal game against Michigan.

Alabama was forced to punt on 4th and 4 late in the 1st quarter against the Wolverines. However, a Michigan player clearly made contact with Alabama punter James Burnip’s kicking leg but no flag was thrown.

ESPN’s rules analyst said a flag should have been thrown for running into the kicker, which would have given Alabama a crucial 1st down.

Here’s a replay of the contact with Burnip that was not called:

Burnip received medical attention on the field before limping off. If he can’t continue in this game, Alabama does have a couple of emergency options. Kicker Will Reichard punted for the Tide against Texas A&M this season. Alabama also has walk-on punter Nick Serpa dressed out for this game.

It’s been a chaotic start for Alabama so far this game. The Tide nearly had an interception on the 1st play of the game, but it was ruled that safety Caleb Downs stepped out of bounds prior to making the interception. Alabama also recovered a muffed punt in the 1st quarter, which led to the Tide’s only points of the frame.

After the no-call, Michigan ended up punting on its ensuing offensive possession. Still, the decision to not throw the flag generated plenty of reaction from across fans and media in college football: