Referee of 2021 Music City Bowl to lead crew in Vols' first round playoff game

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Monday, Tennessee fans got an unwelcomed update ahead of the teams matchup with Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoffs.

Saturday, Tennessee will take on Ohio State with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line; the Vols enter the game as seven-point underdog.

Monday, a website that tracks assignments for officials in college football revealed a familiar face to Tennessee fans will be refereeing the matchup with the Buckeyes.

Atlantic Coast Conference referee Jerry Magallanes will lead the crew Saturday in Columbus.

Magallanes was the same official on the call at the 2021 Music City Bowl where the Vols lost to Purdue 48-45 in overtime after Coach Josh Heupel went for it on fourth down in overtime. Officials ruled Jaylen Wright’s momentum was stopped, despite Wright reaching for the goal line and breaking the plane.

“What’s crazy is the officials wanted that tonight. I thought that was pretty comical that they came up and said that to me, they think that needs to be a rule change,” Heupel said after the game, signaling officials in the game told him they disagreed with how the rule was written.

“Well, I mean it’ll matter because that’s the part of being a fan and you’re always looking at that right and so that’s something Tennessee fans are going to talk about,” said Brent Hubbs at VolQuest.com. “But at the end of the day, Tennessee is in the playoff and playing Ohio State. That’s exactly where you want to be, go line up and compete and do everything in your power to win the football game.”

Magallanes was suspended by the ACC in 2015 after he led a crew that was involved in the ending of Duke and Miami Universities. Miami won the football game after it performed multiple laterals ending in a touchdown, but later, the conference reviewed and ruled the touchdowns should have never been allowed after Miami performed an illegal forward lateral.

Magallanes was back in the headlines during the 2024 season after leading the officiating crew when Virginia Tech visited Miami early in the season. The Hurricanes would attempt a Hail Mary to end the game in which was seemingly caught by Va. Tech and ruled an interception on the field as time expired. Magallanes would overturn the interception call to a touchdown, leaving Miami with a victory and Tech with no explanation.

An ACC crew was assigned to the game because a crew from the conference participating in the game cannot call the game.

Tennessee plays in the SEC and Ohio State in the Big Ten, leaving only ACC or Big 12 officials to work the contest.

“I mean listen, we’re 25 years removed from the Jabar Gafney catch no catch here, and that’s never going to go away. That’s a part of it. That’s why you’re a fan, and that’s what fandom is all about. That’s absolutely going to remain in the crawl of Tennessee fans out there, and I understand that,” said Hubbs. “I don’t think you go into this game and think ‘Oh man, Tennessee is in trouble because the crew or one member of the crew worked the Music City Bowl is working a College Football Playoff game’.”

Tennessee and Ohio State kick-off Saturday at 8 p.m. WVLT will be airing a special edition of the Big Orange Kick Off Friday at 7 p.m.