Referees Rob Florida State DB Of Insane INT With Questionable Penalty

Not much went wrong for the Florida State Seminoles in their 39-17 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies. That is, unless you’re defensive back Azareye'h Thomas.

No, he didn’t get hurt and have to leave the game. He didn’t get his ankles broken by a Hokie wide receiver either.

Unfortunately, he had one of the most insane interception bids of the season wiped out because of a questionable penalty call.

The Refs Called Roughing The Passer Against Florida State..But Was It Really?

Early in the second quarter, Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones inexplicably threw a ball directly towards Thomas. I say “directly,” but Thomas still needed all sorts of athleticism to make this play. He even got two feet down, so his wild play would’ve counted in the NFL too.

Sadly for Drones it was negated by a roughing the passer call on Byron Turner Jr. Except, was it really roughing the passer? You be the judge.

The interception comes at the end of the video, so make sure to watch the whole video to see the would-be catch.

Quarterbacks Are Overprotected And Defenses Can't Play Defense

I truly do understand the desire to protect quarterbacks, but this call seemed premature. Turner Jr. was already committed to making the tackle and Drones released the ball roughly one half a second before getting hit.

The over-emphasis on roughing the passer calls has severely impacted defenders ability to play defense and make hits. While it's good that the call didn’t affect the game for Florida State, it still stinks for Thomas that he got robbed of a career-defining highlight.