Let me start this with the famous 82 Penn St game. On Sept. 25, 1982, Huskers quarterback Turner Gill erased a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to give his team a 24-21 lead with 1:18 left in the game.
Lions quarterback Todd Blackledge took the field, needing 65 yards. After leading the Lions inside the Huskers’ 20-yard line with 13 seconds left, Blackledge found a wide open Mike McCloskey streaking towards the sidelines. Blackledge tossed the ball in McCloskey’s direction, but the pass led McCloskey out of bounds, where he caught the ball.
That is, according to everyone except the official responsible with the call. The official ruled McCloskey caught it in bounds and stepped out at the 2-yard line with nine seconds remaining. The Lions would finish off the drive with a touchdown and a 27-24 win.
Nearly two decades after McCloskey’s greatest non-catch of his career, he admitted he was out of bounds.
The Lions (and officials) would cost the Huskers and Osborne a chance to win the national championship.