The matchup between Kansas and Missouri was already an insane first half before the college football contest lost one of its peacekeepers, seemingly for the rest of the game.
After Kansas returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown, the broadcast came back to show white-hat referee Jason Autrey writhing in pain on the sideline, clutching his leg. Speculation from the Fox booth indicated it may have been a pulled hamstring.
Kansas blocked a FG for a TD and destroyed the ref’s hamstring on the return pic.twitter.com/HNXflYANNL
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 12, 2026
Autrey was shown various times stretching on the sideline after the play, but was eventually carted off the field in a surreal sight.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 12, 2026
The protocol in the aftermath of the Autrey injury was, in a word, confusing. Rules analyst Mike Pereira noted that there isn't a backup, which means there are only six officials and no white-hats on the field. The center judge took over in the backfield.
New problems arose. For starters, there wasn't a working microphone on the field after Autrey's injury, which led to the Fox booth having some fun by having Pereira announce some calls.
In a game that had already seen several blocked kicks and turnovers, not to mention one that had some serious vitriol coming in, it will be interesting to see how the absence of the lead official impacts things moving forward.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kansas-Missouri referee Jason Autrey injured in first half of rivalry game
