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Phantom offsides call on missed field goal leads to Notre Dame TD in 24-17 win over Cal

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Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame got the luck of the Irish on Saturday. The Fighting Irish outscored California 17-7 in the second half to clinch their first win of the Freeman era.

But before they got the 24-17 win, they needed a little good fortune.

It took until partway through the second quarter for Notre Dame to get itself into Cal’s territory. However, a third down stop prompted Freeman to bring kicker Blake Grupe on the field to attempt a 45-yard field goal.

Grupe’s effort proceeded to doink off the upright, keeping the game knotted at 0. However, the refs spotted an offsides infraction on No. 50 Kyle Smith. The result? A Notre Dame first down.

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Here’s the problem: Smith wasn’t even close to being offsides.

Check it out:

The call even had NBC’s broadcast bamboozled. Here’s an utterly baffled Jason Garrett speaking for the masses:

It only took two plays for the Irish to capitalize on the refereeing error; Drew Pyne found tailback Chris Tyree, who tiptoed into the end zone from 21 yards out to break the deadlock.

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Cal head coach Justin Wilcox did not look too pleased when asked about the call in the halftime break:

And that blown call would loom large. Despite a wild final possession, the Fighting Irish held off the Golden Bears to secure win No. 1 under Freeman’s direction. The deficit was a mere seven points.

Maybe Fighting Irish fans can send the referee crew a fruit basket for the phantom offsides call.

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