Was there pass interference on the final play of Notre Dame's 28-24 loss to BYU Saturday night?
And maybe, more importantly — did Notre Dame football have one second left on the clock when the play was over?
Both elements of the last play of the Irish's four-point loss in Provo, Utah, were debated right after the game and into the early morning hours of the night.
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Reactions to final play in Notre Dame football vs BYU
Right away on the ABC broadcast, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit and rules analyst Matt Austin believed there was some form of pass interference. CJ Carr's pass was thrown in the direction of Jaden Greathouse, who appeared to be being held as he fell to the ground in the back of the end zone. No flag was thrown, and the game was ruled over.
"I think it warranted a flag. That's a lot of contact where you're not playing the ball... I would've supported a DPI."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 18, 2026
ESPN/ABC rules analyst Matt Austin on the Notre Dame-BYU finish.
(There's also the question of the field clock, which showed 1 second remaining) pic.twitter.com/JzKewlL57a
After the final play of the game made its way to social media, however, more interest was focused on there being one second left on the clock as the ball hit the ground. The 2026 college football season famously began with a controversy like this, as Michigan was awarded one extra second after a review of a final play against Western Michigan. The Wolverines then completed a Hail Mary to win the game.
Here are some of the reactions from people on social media about the missed second for Notre Dame:
As some have noted, there was indeed :01 on the bug clock when the pass hit the ground (BYU/ND). Replay should have reviewed to determine if the in-stadium clock was at :01 at that point and if so, ND would have had one more play.
— Terry McAulay (@tjmcaulay) October 18, 2026
Forget the BYU pass interference for a second… how did they NOT review an obvious second left on the clock for Notre Dame???? https://t.co/ROzTYajaZ6pic.twitter.com/j0IsqH9GSZ
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) October 18, 2026
The year of time left on the clock pic.twitter.com/efCjaJXhO1
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) October 18, 2026
HOW DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING? https://t.co/wu2N1thxF4
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 18, 2026