The college football season kicked off on Saturday afternoon, and the Big Ten decided to get in on the fun. The Illinois Fighting Illini played host to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a matchup of programs that are looking to build towards being contenders in the Big Ten West.
Unfortunately the game featured a pair of rather unique injuries, although it’s fair to wonder why this does not happen more often. On a pair of occasions, the Huskers called plays that involved their receivers running crossing routes, and on both of those occasions, someone on the Illini defense flattened the referee standing in the middle of the field.
Umpire gets blasted in the secondary, throws sails over wide open receiver's head pic.twitter.com/pDKLbmWCAh
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) August 28, 2021
Official accidentally blindsided again pic.twitter.com/gfO3K38vfV
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) August 28, 2021
Having to stand in the middle of a football field is certainly not an enviable task, because in addition to all the stuff you have to be on the lookout for — namely when the big fellas on the opposing lines are battling with one another — you have to make sure you do not get obliterated by everyone who goes flying in the middle of the field. It was unclear if either of the officials were seriously injured, but as a result, the game had to go with any officials in that part of the field for a brief period.
Source: https://uproxx.com/sports/nebraska-illinois-referee-laid-out-crossing-route-video/