Sources: ACC ref, irked by replay handling, quits

After an awkwardly handled replay precocious successful the archetypal fractional of past weekend's crippled betwixt Syracuse and UConn, a longtime ACC authoritative has discontinue his station implicit vexation with the mode the reappraisal was handled, sources told ESPN connected Friday.

Gary Patterson, who served arsenic the caput referee for Saturday's matchup betwixt the Orange and Huskies and has worked arsenic an authoritative with the ACC since 2002, abruptly terminated his declaration with the league aft the game.

The ACC confirmed Patterson's departure from the conference's roster of officials Friday but said adjustments to officiating crews person already been made and that determination volition beryllium nary disruption to league officiating. Patterson had been scheduled to referee Saturday's crippled betwixt Pitt and West Virginia.

The series that led to Patterson's departure began with 1:02 remaining successful the fractional and UConn starring 14-3. Syracuse opened a thrust astatine the Huskies' 25-yard line, and connected archetypal down, backmost Steve Angeli dropped backmost to pass. His limb was deed arsenic helium threw, and the shot went guardant astir 8 yards, landing connected the turf.

The officials instantly ruled the walk incomplete. Syracuse past snapped the shot again with 58 seconds near connected the clock, though astir 25 seconds of existent clip passed betwixt plays. The second-down propulsion was astir intercepted earlier 2 UConn players collided and the walk fell incomplete, bringing up a third-and-10 with 53 seconds to go.

A emblem was thrown aft the play, however, and Patterson could beryllium seen talking connected his headset to the ACC's bid halfway for astir 90 seconds earlier announcing that "replay had buzzed successful anterior to the erstwhile play."

Sources who person reviewed galore camera angles of the series said determination was nary carnal denotation by immoderate authoritative connected the tract that they had been buzzed by the replay booth anterior to the second-down snap. An ACC spokesperson said officials were buzzed to initiate the reappraisal but that the timing was not perfect for it to beryllium a seamless replay. The league has addressed the handling of this series internally, the spokesperson said.

Officials reviewed the first-down play to spot whether Angeli had fumbled, negating the second-down play, earlier yet upholding the archetypal telephone of an incomplete pass.

Syracuse and UConn officials were told the referee had simply "not heard" the archetypal petition from the replay booth anterior to the second-down snap.

ESPN rules adept Bill LeMonnier, who has decades of acquisition arsenic an official, said the bid of events was uncharacteristic of however a replay would usually beryllium handled.

"Let's accidental they're close up astatine the line, the ball's being snapped, and the buzzers spell off," LeMonnier said. "It's the referee's discretion to unopen the play down vs. saying it's excessively late. It's expected to beryllium successful the referee's hands."

LeMonnier besides said a emblem thrown aft the second-down play, which was presumably owed to a precocious deed connected Angeli by a UConn defender, was ignored, contempt rules saying a idiosyncratic foul would beryllium enforced adjacent during a dormant shot period.

"The mistakes were wholly created by either the replay booth oregon the bid center," LeMonnier said. "It's not the responsibility of the officials connected the field."

Every play is taxable to review. When officials are buzzed to statesman the process, they get connected the headset with the replay booth successful the stadium and the ACC bid halfway and the reappraisal is initiated.

Two sources with cognition of the concern said the directive came from the ACC bid center.

One root said Patterson was upset astatine the ACC's interference successful forcing a replay aft the adjacent play...