The Big Ten has owned up to a glaring officiating error that threw a wrench into Oregon's last-gasp bid to tie Saturday's game against UCLA, leaving the Ducks to stew over a bitter 17-15 loss at Autzen Stadium.

In a statement released Sunday, the conference confirmed that officials incorrectly positioned the ball during Oregon's second two-point conversion attempt with 2:16 remaining in the fourth quarter. The mistake meant the Ducks had a longer distance to cover than the rules required when they attempted to pull level with the Bruins.

Oregon trailed 17-9 before quarterback Brock Thomas connected with wide receiver Evan Stewart on a 44-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Bruins advantage to 17-15. The Ducks subsequently attempted a two-point conversion, but Thomas was unable to reach the goal line on a rushing attempt. UCLA was then penalized for a facemask, giving Oregon another opportunity to complete the conversion.

However, officials placed the ball half the distance to the goal from the original line of scrimmage rather than where Thomas's initial run ended. Consequently, the second attempt began at approximately the 1.5-yard line instead of the half-yard line, as required under the applicable rule.

“Following the first attempt that resulted in a personal foul penalty for a facemask on the UCLA defense, the ball was spotted for the second attempt half-the-distance to the goal from the original line of scrimmage of the first attempt,” said the Big Ten. “Per the rule, the ball should have been spotted the half-the-distance to the goal from the end of the run of the first attempt.”

Running back Jordon Davison took the ball on the Ducks' second attempt but was stopped short of the goal line. Had the officials correctly positioned the ball, Oregon would have needed to cover approximately half a yard to tie the game. A successful conversion would have leveled the score at 17-17, potentially forcing overtime, although it would not have guaranteed a Ducks win.

Article Continues Below

Beyond the officiating fiasco, Oregon's tendency to give the ball away proved to be their Achilles' heel. Seven turnovers doomed the Ducks to their second loss of the season, dropping Oregon to a 3-2 overall record and a 1-1 mark in conference play while knocking the team out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since head coach Dan Lanning took over the program in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Bruins, overcame an injury to starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to secure the victory and improve to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play.

The result could complicate Oregon's College Football Playoff hopes, with a difficult remaining schedule. The Ducks will next look to respond when they host Nebraska at Autzen Stadium.