Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said the call at the end of Friday's Tailgreeter Cure Bowl that denied Northern Illinois a final play was "egregious" and "unacceptable."
Northern Illinois lost 47-41 to Coastal Carolina after time expired with the Huskies at the Chanticleers' 4-yard line. NIU converted a fourth-and-1 play with a 4-yard pass to tight end Miles Joiner along the sideline. The official signaled for the clock to stop but then motioned his arm to run the clock. It started before the officials allowed the Huskies to snap the ball.
"Following the reception along the sideline, the play should have been stopped for a review," Steinbrecher said in a prepared statement. "Also, the clock was not managed appropriately on what should have been the final play as the center judge should have been allowed to clear the center before the referee wound the clock. This should not have occurred and the egregious errors around a potential game-changing situation is both unfortunate and unacceptable."
Coastal Carolina rallied from a 41-33 deficit early in the fourth quarter to record its first bowl win and its 11th victory of the season.
NIU coach Thomas Hammock said of the play, "They made the call and they saw it how they saw it. We were ready to snap the ball and the guy wouldn't let us snap the ball. We had a play ready to go."