Big Ten Admits They Made Critical Mistake That Hurt Oregon in Loss to UCLA

The Big Ten admitted its officials made a critical mistake near the end of Saturday's game between the Oregon Ducks and UCLA Bruins.

With 2:16 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Ducks scored a touchdown and attempted a two-point conversion to try and tie the ballgame at 17. Oregon attempted a two-point conversion.  

The Bruins were flagged for a facemask penalty, but officials put the ball at the 1.5-yard line. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was unhappy with the spot, as the ball should have been spotted at the half-yard line because of where the tackle was made.

The Ducks failed to convert and wound up losing the contest 17-15 after getting the ball back with under a minute to play.

Per On3, the Big Ten noted on Sunday that the ball should have been placed at the half-yard line based on the end of the run from the first attempt for the two-point conversion.

The conference's statement does little for the Ducks now. Oregon might have converted from the half-yard line and tied the game. 

Instead, the Ducks fell to 3-2 on the season and face an uphill battle to make the College Football Playoff. 

With that being said, Oregon's offense failed to convert two two-point conversions (three if you count the penalty). The Ducks should have found a way to the end zone in one of those situations and kept the game out of the officials’ hands. 

Oregon is not a good football team right now.

The Ducks have played one good game against an FBS opponent this season, and that came in a 41-27 win over USC on Sept. 26 on the road. Outside of that, Oregon has not played up to the hype the program had in the preseason.

The loss to UCLA showed how many flaws Oregon has, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Backup quarterback Dylan Raiola wasn't great (and was benched), but he wasn't the only problem on the Ducks’ offense.

Evan Stewart, Jordon Davison, Brock Thomas, and Raiola all lost fumbles on Saturday. There's a lot for Oregon to fix before it gets ready to host Nebraska in Week 7. 

The Ducks will enter that game unranked. Moore, who missed Saturday's contest after suffering a concussion against USC, could be available for the contest. While he should help the offense be more efficient, the offense needs to find some attitude before playing the Cornhuskers.