Gary Patterson, a longtime ACC referee, reportedly quit his job following a controversial replay review.
The trigger was a replay late in the first half where a play was interrupted, then reviewed, in a sequence that may have been mishandled.
A college football referee has quit his job[/caption]
The referee didn’t agree with how a replay review went down[/caption]
The incident involved Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli having his arm hit on a pass ruled incomplete and confusion over when the replay was supposed to take effect.
According to reports, there was a buzz from the ACC command center to initiate the replay.
However, the timing was such that another play had already been run before the review was announced.
Patterson was reportedly upset with what he saw as undue interference or mismanagement by the command center.
After that game, Patterson terminated his contract with the ACC, according to multiple sources.
The conference confirmed that Patterson’s departure from the roster of officials had taken effect.
Officiating crews have already been adjusted for upcoming games.
The Syracuse‑UConn game ended in a 27‑20 win for Syracuse in overtime.
Some viewers noted that from camera angles, there was no clear indication that the field officials had been buzzed before the play that was later ruled under review.
An ACC spokesperson stated that the issue had been addressed internally.
Patterson has not publicly spoken about his decision to quit.
Many sources attribute the principal cause of his resignation to frustration over the replay system rather than a single mistaken call.
This incident and his quitting have raised broader concerns about how replay reviews are managed in ACC games, especially the role of command centers vs. on‑field referees.
As of now, with Patterson out, the ACC has replaced him on future assignments, and league officials are reported to be reviewing their replay processes to prevent similar conflicts.
