Purdue Royally Screwed By Phantom Offensive Pass Interference Call

Society doesn't — and assuredly shouldn't work this way — but it'd be understandable if Purdue coach Jeff Brohm was afforded the opportunity to go on a consequence-free crime spree last night after his Boilermakers were robbed of an apparent victory against Minnesota in Minneapolis. Because who wouldn't feel the need to release some Purge-like rage after seeing one's team victimized by what could be, with no hyperbole, the worst officiating decision any of us has ever seen?

Jack Plummer had thrown a beautiful touchdown to tight end Payne Durham to give Purdue a 37-34 late ead when, inexplicably, a flag came flying in for the sin of offensive pass interference. To simply call it a controversial decision would not paint an accurate picture. More accurately, the infraction was conjured out of thin air and will go down as history's great mysteries.

""You know what I think," Brohm said. "I can't really comment on it. It's part of the game and we've got to move forward, but yes, I didn't like it at all." Brohm repeatedly yelled at the official who made the call on the Purdue sideline, but said later that he didn't get "a good explanation" for why Durham was flagged. "I wish I could comment what I really think," Brohm said. "We send calls in [to the Big Ten], and sometimes they agree with us, sometimes they don't. I don't have the replay and can see it. I just know there was a touchdown [Minnesota] caught earlier in the game, about the same area on the slot receiver, he gave a little nudge and they didn't call that. "I'll just stop there. A big score at the end and it gets called back. I guess we had a penalty.""

Not an expert on human psychology but when a person can't even effort an attempt to defend an action, that usually means they know deep down it was indefensible.

Of course, before we all throw our backs out consoling Purdue for its misfortune, it's probably worth mentioning that Minnesota was down 20 players due to COVID protocol. So it's not as though Brohm's team didn't have a path to victory around such a heinous call.

Still, if ever there were something truly worthy of being called a traveshamockery, this is it. The Miller Brewing Company tried to warn us of such future Midwestern trouble and we just kept on drinking, unaware of the OPI cliff that lay ahead.

Something to think about.