Barstool Sports founder and owner Dave Portnoy was livid with college football officials over a controversial call during the Michigan Wolverines game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday.

The call arrived in the fourth quarter with Michigan leading 21-13. After Michigan punted the ball to Rutgers, the referees called a 15-yard penalty on the Wolverines for kick-catch interference. That gave Rutgers possession at its own 37-yard line in a close game.

Based on the replay, it might be difficult to determine exactly where the kick-catch interference occurred. The kick returner signaled for a fair catch, but then the ball bounced off his chest. He attempted to grab the ball, but bobbled it and lost control of it, as Michigan's Zeke Berry rushed over towards the Rutgers kick returner to make a play.

Berry appeared to pull back as he approached the returner, seemingly aware that he couldn't interfere with the player's opportunity to secure the ball. Portnoy blasted the referees for the call, ranting on social media about the penalty against Michigan.

"Can we talk about this flag in the Michigan game that they're gonna call? Wait till you see this. Michigan recovers a fumble of a punt, and they call kick-catch interference, like interference on the catch. Let's show this kick-catch interference, please," Portnoy said over a highlight clip on X.

"They called this kick-catch interference," he said while talking over the replay. "That's the worst call in the history of football. In the history of football. How in the world is this kick catch interference? He dropped the ball; it's loose. What are we talking about?"

Many individuals agreed with Portnoy on his X post, but others pointed to an NCAA rule that could explain the officials' decision. A valid fair-catch signal protects a receiver's opportunity to catch the ball after an initial muff, as long as the ball hasn't touched the ground and the receiver still has an opportunity to catch it.

"He made a fair catch signal. Even with a muff he still has the one hard halo until the ball hits the ground. It’s not a bad call, you just don’t know the rules," one commenter replied.

"Catch interference. Under NCAA Rule 6-5-1b, a valid fair catch signal extends the unimpeded opportunity to catch even after a muff/bobble, as long as the receiver still has a chance to secure it before the ball hits the ground. Contact by Michigan during that window is kick-catch interference," a commenter wrote.

"Because he interfered with the catch. Even the kid that interfered knew he interfered. That’s why he tried to pull his arms back. He knew the rule, why don’t you?" another commenter said, blasting Portnoy.

Those who disagreed with the penalty suggested that Berry still allowed the Rutgers returner an opportunity to secure the ball before it hit the ground.

The Big Ten also faced criticism over officiating earlier this season following Michigan's controversial last-second win over Western Michigan. A disputed replay review restored one second to the clock, allowing Michigan to win on a dramatic Hail Mary touchdown, sparking debate among fans, journalists, and sports personalities.

Despite Portnoy's apparent frustration over that fourth-quarter penalty against Michigan, the Wolverines still won the game, 28-21, improving their record to 5-3, while the Scarlet Knights fell to 2-6.

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