Stephens: Mountain West will review Jasen Oden’s “fumble”

It was the play that didn’t matter. Or maybe it did.

In a 41-17 loss to San Diego State on Saturday, it’s hard to blame one call in the first quarter as the culprit in the outcome for CSU. Not impossible. Just hard. And hours, likely days, later, football fans in green and gold are still irate.

Colorado State University running back Jasen Oden “fumbled” at the goal line with 5 minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the first quarter, recovered by SDSU in the end zone. The Rams forced SDSU to punt six plays later and responded with a touchdown drive of their own to make the score 7-7. But it could have been 14-7 with all momentum in the hoofs of the Rams. That wasn’t the case. And SDSU rolled.

“Fumble” is in quotation marks because it very clearly wasn’t. On a second-and-goal play from the two yard line, Oden stretched the ball for the end zone as he was being tackled, only to have to ball pop out and ruled a fumble on the field. Replay showed from multiple angles that Oden was clearly down before the ground forced the fumble. Whether it was a touchdown or he was down at the inch line is still up for debate, but he was down. And after a lengthy review process, one that, according to CSU coach Mike Bobo, took so long because shadows created issues for a camera, the call on the field stood.

“I saw what you saw on the TV board,” said Bobo, who kept throwing his hands up to signal touchdown during the review. “They ruled it a fumble. At the end of the day, that’s not how we protect the ball when you’re at the goal line. You don’t reach out — ever — unless it’s fourth down.”

So why after a review that clearly showed there was no fumble did the call stand? I called the Mountain West office to get a comment from Coordinator of Football Officials Greg Burks. Unfortunately, a review is a judgment call for referees, like pass interference. Because of that, there won’t be an official word until Monday or Tuesday following the standard review of the previous week’s games. Once Burks finishes watching the play, then we’ll receive comment on if the call was correct (it wasn’t) and I’ll relay what he says.

“Things like that are always going to ruin a game because you’re always going to think ‘what if?’ We could have been up 14-7 and they could have laid down,” said Oden, who added he thought it was a touchdown but that it was up to the officials to make the call. “I have to do a better job on my end of holding the ball and if I’m going to make a play like that, secure it to the ground.”

Ultimately, CSU lost by 24 and turned the ball over three more times via the interception. Reversing the call likely wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the game. But facing a SDSU team that’s quickly showing it’s the Mountain West’s best, scoring a touchdown there was a necessity if the Rams wanted any chance for an upset.

We’re instead left wondering “what if?”

For insight and analysis on athletics around Northern Colorado and the Mountain West, follow sports columnist Matt L. Stephens at twitter.com/mattstephens and facebook.com/stephensreporting.