Durkin: Michigan-OSU fourth-down spot too close to call

Allen Park

– Maryland coach D.J. Durkin was in town to discuss the Terps’ upcoming Quick Lane Bowl against Boston College at Ford Field, but he could not get away without being asked about the fourth-and-1 spot in the Michigan-Ohio State game that sparked controversy.

Durkin was Michigan’s defensive coordinator last season and has worked not only with Jim Harbaugh but Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.

Michigan thought it had stopped OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett short on the fourth-and-1 in double overtime. The Buckeyes got the first down and scored the winning touchdown on the next play.

Durkin toed the line.

“Come on, man,” Durkin said Wednesday when asked for his opinion, drawing laughter.

“We were playing at the same time, I’ve seen the replay, obviously, I didn’t see the game at the time. Those are two really good football teams. More than anything you saw two teams really battling and competing at a high level. I didn’t get a chance to watch it and see it but for it to come down the way it did, that’s what you want. Obviously familiar with both programs and worked for both coaches, those are competitors there for sure.”

Durkin later said it was too hard to determine whether the spot was good.

“I don’t get paid to make those decisions,” Durkin said after the news conference. “That was about as close as you could get. I don’t know. That’s a hard call. Up in the box there’s not enough there to overturn, so the call on the field is the way it is. There are those calls at times. Even on replay, you can’t really tell.”

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