Dyer Situation: Michael Dyer's Miracle Run Should Not Have Counted

The Auburn Tigers won the 2011 BCS National Championship in historic fashion. 

After giving up a game-tying two-point conversion to the Oregon Ducks with just over two and a half minutes to go, the Tigers were driving down the field when the unimaginable occurred. 

On a 1st-and-10 run from about midfield, Michael Dyer, the now infamous Auburn running back, was given the ball. He slashed through the line of scrimmage for a decent five-yard gain before being seized by an Oregon defender. He was spun around and landed on top of the defender, bracing his fall with what appeared to be his hands.

His initial reaction was to jump right up, and, almost as if he thought he was down, started to motion to the referee as if he was going to hand him the ball. This was all until he looked at the sideline to hear his teammates screaming for him to "Go!"

Realizing that he was not down (kind of), Dyer rushed for a huge gain which put the Tigers into field goal territory and ultimately led to the Tigers sealing their fate as the 2011 BCS National Champions. 

At first, this run was heralded as though it might have been one of the best runs in college football championship history. While Dyer's effort was outstanding, every Oregon fan and college football fan out there is still wondering..was Michael Dyer actually down on that miracle run?

Though the officials did review the call on the field and determined that no other part of his body hit the ground, let us explore the NCAA ruling on a player being ruled down. The NCAA rule book states that a player is down when "any part of the ball carrier's body, EXCEPT his HAND or FOOT, touches the ground...". If we think back to just Jan. 4, 2011, there was another instance that this ruling was put into place.

Trailing 7-0 in the Sugar Bowl, Arkansas TE D.J. Williams seemed to pull of a play just like Dyer's. He was "tackled" but then got back up and sprinted for what appeared to be a miraculous touchdown. After the referees reviewed the evidence on video, they determined that the receivers wrist was used to prevent the ball from hitting the ground, thus ruling him down.

Now, you might ask, what does this have to do with Michael Dyer's run? If you look at the video very closely, you will see that Dyer's wrist does hit the ground when he is tackled, THE FIRST TIME near the 50-yard line.

Though these refs were probably the best in college football (and they officiated a very even and good game) they definitely missed this call. Despite the clear infraction of a wrist being on the ground, Dyer's run was ruled eligible and led the Tigers to the championship. Now, while it was clear and apparent that Dyer was down, what would have happened if he was actually ruled down is a huge question. 

But, for Duck fans, I'm not sure how you can console yourselves now. Maybe the refs will pull a 2005 Seahawks Super Bowl and apologize in five years, but you never know with the way college football is officiated. Perhaps, too, the Tigers will be revoked of their championship in a few years. You never know.

The only thing that we can wonder and determine is, "What if..."