WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THE CLOCK#PMSCFPESPN2 pic.twitter.com/2KZhNfqzeI
There was another instance in which Penn State had the ball with 38 seconds lin a tie game and running back Nicholas Singleton scampered for a 15 yard carry on first down to get the drive started.
Fans were upset watching the clock operator mess up a seemingly easy job during the College Football Playoff semifinal clash.
“We are witnessing legendary hall of shame performance from this clock operator,” another X user, @statsbywill said.
“Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter on the sideline also wondering what is going on with the clock,” McAfee added. “This is unbelievable. I can’t believe it.”
“Notre Dame had a first down. Game clock operator, please rest the game clock to one minute, twenty six seconds. Following a first down, we stop the clock under two minutes,” the referee said in a sequence aired on the national broadcast with the score tied at 24 in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
Referees constantly had to stop the game during Notre Dame’s 27-24 win over Penn State to tell the clock operator to correctly adjust the clock, with that individual seemingly forgetting to stop the game timer so the chain gang could move forward on first downs.
Notre Dame overcame a 10-0 deficit to advance to the title game, while Penn State went home wondering what went wrong in the defeat as the clock hit zero on their season.