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A month after would-be pick vs. Michigan, OSU CB Denzel Burke believes refs got it wrong

bill rabinowitz, columbus dispatch
·2 min read
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ARLINGTON, Texas – Denzel Burke estimates he has watched the replay a hundred times.

Who knows how many more times he's replayed it in his head?

Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke (10) reacts to referees calling a touchdown call for Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson (1) after Burke came up with the ball at the end of a play during the Buckeyes' 30-24 loss in Ann Arbor.
Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke (10) reacts to referees calling a touchdown call for Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson (1) after Burke came up with the ball at the end of a play during the Buckeyes' 30-24 loss in Ann Arbor.

A month has passed since he wrested the ball from Roman Wilson as the Michigan receiver crossed into the end zone during that fateful game in Ann Arbor. But Burke is as sure now about what should have been called as he was the moment it happened.

On third-and-10 from the Ohio State 22 with Michigan leading 7-3 in the second quarter, Wilson caught a pass from J.J. McCarthy between Burke and safety Malik Hartford. At the 5-yard line, Burke poked at the ball and slightly dislodged it. Burke and Wilson wrestled for the ball as they rolled across the goal line, with Burke gaining possession at the end.

Officials ruled it a touchdown on the field, but Burke said he expected the call to be reversed during the replay review.

“I'm thinking he's going to give me the pick, like we got a pick in the red zone. It's going to change the game,” Burke said. “And then I turn around, and I see his hands go up, and I'm like, wow.”

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The call was not reversed. The touchdown gave Michigan an 11-point lead, and the Buckeyes lost 30-24.

That defeat is why Ohio State is in the Cotton Bowl this week against Missouri instead of the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Asked Tuesday if he'd intercepted the pass, Burke didn't hesitate.

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“Oh, I definitely did,” he said. “The refs didn't give it to me. … They gave it to him.

“He really didn't have possession of the ball. I don't know what the ref saw.”

The many replays he has watched since have only confirmed what he thought.

“It was blatant,” Burke said. “He didn't have control of the ball.”

It's a play that probably will sting Burke forever. But he knows he can't dwell on it.

“A lot of the calls that game didn't go our way,” Burke said. “We can't get stuck in the past. It is what it is.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 'It was blatant.' OSU's Burke believes Michigan TD was an interception