Penn State Football

Penn State WR Omari Evans on Interference Call: ‘That’s Crazy’

Published

September 8, 2024

Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Omari Evans confused after interference call

Some people— including the opposing head coach— felt Penn State WR Omari Evans got away with one in the team’s Week 1 win at WVU.

With 30 seconds left in the first half, Penn State faced a 2nd and 10 from its 27 up 10-6.

Many thought the team would simply play out the rest of the half and go into the locker room with the lead.

OC Andy Kotelnicki has other ideas. QB Drew Allar chucked a deep ball to Evans. Evans caught it for a 55-yard gain. That drive ended with a TD pass from Allar to Harrison Wallace III. Penn State now led by two scores going into the half. It ended up cruising to a 34-12 win.

Drew Allar DEEEEEP to Omari Evans 🎯@PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/G2ZJf2fqQq

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 31, 2024

Fast forward a week, and again, Evans found himself in a situation where he and the DB were fighting for the ball.

Once again, Evans made a big play. He caught what would have been a 45-yard touchdown pass to put Penn State up by 10 with three minutes left in the third quarter.

This time, the ref called Evans for offensive pass interference on a play that, like the one the previous week, could have gone either way.

Big Ten Network color commentator and Penn State legend Matt Millen agreed with the official, saying he “could see it from here (the broadcast booth.)”

Penn State ended up winning the game. But had Evans— who had a 29-yard touchdown reception earlier— not been called for OPI, he’d have had two touchdowns and ended the day with 79 yards instead of 34, assuming everything else would have played out the same way.

It also would have given Allar— who ended the day 13-for-20 with 204 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, plus a five-yard rushing touchdown— another TD and 45 more yards.

Allar was behind the play. So didn’t get a good look at what transpired.

“I don’t know what happened,” Allar told reporters after the game, “but I’m guessing Omari was just hand fighting him at the end of the play which he has to do. He can’t just let DBs grab him and stuff like that. That’s a part of his game where he’s really grown. Just being more physical in general. And honestly, obviously we don’t want that PI to be called. But I think he did a really good job today of just making contested catches.”

Allar then cited Evans’ TD, which took place in the second quarter.

“Beat his guy deep,” Allar said. “That (PI play) would have been another one. But we can only worry about what we can control. We can’t really control what the ref calls. So when that happens, we just have to flush it and move on to the next plan and the next series.”

So what did Evans think of the play?

“That’s crazy,” he said with a smile. “We’re just fighting for the ball, he’s holding my arm, so like I’m just trying to fight for the ball. So I guess the refs called it. I don’t think it was, though.”