AKRON, Ohio – Let’s set the scene.

An NIU punt pinned Akron on their own nine-yard line with :10 remaining in the game, trailing 31-28.

Zips quarterback Mark Friday completed a 53-yard pass to Harold Robinson on what should have been the last play of the game. Time had expired when the referees signaled to stop the clock.

“I looked up and there was no time on the clock,” NIU head coach Jerry Pettibone said. “That’s what I was going by.”

The Huskies began heading to the locker room but were sent back to the sidelines by the officials. After several minutes of debating between the officials, referree Tommy Taylor came to the sidelines and called to the booth where an “observer” was monitoring the game.

The observer said that there was still :01 on the clock when Robinson was tackled.

“I thought they only had instant replay in the pros,” Pettibone said.

Of course, Akron head coach Gerry Faust saw it differently.

“You have to go by the officials,” he said. “When he went like this (signaling to stop the clock), there were :02 left.”

Friday saw it from yet another point of view.

“There were :03 left on the clock when he (Robinson) went down,” he said. “That’s why I never left the field.”

After all the discussion the clock was reset to :01 and play resumed. The clock started immediately on the official’s signal, meaning the center had to snap the ball before time expired. He did, and Friday dropped back to pass.

He threw a line drive hail-Mary that NIU cornerback Earl Upton intercepted before any of the Zips receivers had a chance to get the ball.