WATCH: Mississippi State flagged for late hit on play that should have been ruled a fumble
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are hanging tough with 2016 Heisman winner Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals in the TaxSlayer Bowl, but aren’t being done any favors by the refs.
In the second quarter, Louisville WR Jaylen Smith made a catch and was running along the sideline when he lost control of the football. Then, he was hit by a Mississippi State defender, who was flagged for a late hit.
However, as you can see in the video below, shared on Twitter by @Troy_Eckleberry, the fumble landed in bounds, and Smith wasn’t out of bounds when he was hit. Still, the refs didn’t review the play and awarded the Cardinals the penalty yards on a drive in which the Cardinals scored a touchdown to tie the game:
Ruled a late hit out of bounds and not reviewed for a fumble pic.twitter.com/iyGV41ZVF6
— Troy (@troy_eckleberry) December 30, 2017
That was a tough blow for the Bulldogs, but they have battled back under backup QB Keytaon Thompson.
Late in the second quarter, the Bulldogs lead the Cardinals 17-14 and have been moving the ball well against Louisville’s defense.