After back-to-back wins, Purdue seemed to be finding its footing, but the Boilermakers' momentum came to a halt with a 38-26 loss to Washington on Friday. The loss leaves Purdue at 3-4 heading into its bye week, putting its bowl eligibility hopes under pressure.
However, the game also featured a controversial officiating decision that drew sharp criticism from fans.
In the fourth quarter, with Purdue trailing 38-26 and facing third-and-6, quarterback Ryan Browne connected with Chauncey Magwood on a pass that initially seemed to result in a 25-yard completion. However, the replay official overturned the ruling on the field after a review and declared the pass incomplete. Purdue converted on fourth down on the next play.
"In what world is this not a catch? He catches it, takes multiple steps, then has a knee down (play should be over), then touches out of bounds (play should be over again), then loses the ball. Purdue just got absolutely hosed," CFB Kings wrote .
"This crew doesn't know the rules," a fan said .
"The officials in this Purdue game have been horrible. Multiple missed pass interference calls. [Expletive] roughing the QB calls. Apparently a catch isn't a catch anymore. But the Washington secondary has been pass interference all night, grabbing," another fan wrote .
"Looks like a catch to me (just opened the app and haven't seen the game)," another person said .
At the heart of the debate was the NCAA's catch rule, which requires a receiver to maintain control of the football when going to the ground. Under the rule, a receiver who falls to the ground during the process of completing a catch must retain possession through the ground contact.
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That rule has long been a source of confusion and disagreement, especially when a receiver seems to secure the ball before hitting the ground.
The controversy also prompted criticism of the replay officials and calls for the Big Ten to address the officiating.
"Who is officiating that game? Whoever is in charge of replay needs to be suspended. Gollie that's something I would expect out of an ACC crew," one fan wrote .
"Big Ten fire your refs please," a fan said .
While the overturned catch became one of the game's biggest talking points, Washington's win was also built on its overall performance. The Huskies accumulated 488 total yards, comfortably surpassing Purdue's 371.
Washington quarterback Elijah Brown, making his first start for the Huskies, threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns to help his team secure the win.
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Browne completed 21 of 41 pass attempts for 273 yards and a touchdown. He also contributed 15 rushing yards and scored a rushing touchdown.
Browne entered the game ranked No. 27 in Pro Football Network's QB Impact rankings with an 83.8 grade.
After the bye, Purdue visits Penn State on Oct. 31.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
