For the New Orleans Saints’ Week 10 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, longtime NFL official Shawn Hochuli has been assigned to officiate the game, per Football Zebras. Hochuli’s NFL officiating career began in 2014 as a side judge before eventually moving to back judge. In 2018, he was promoted to referee following the retirement of his father, Ed Hochuli. The Saints currently hold a 2-5 record in games officiated by Hochuli, with their most recent meeting featuring a bit of controversy that ultimately worked in New Orleans’ favor.
In a mid-Dec. 2024 matchup against the Washington Commanders, quarterback Spencer Rattler and the Saints offense had battled their way back into the game late in the fourth quarter, trailing by just one score.
With nine seconds remaining and no timeouts, side judge Jim Quirk mistakenly stopped the clock following a completed pass to former Saints tight end Foster Moreau, who was ruled down at the 1-yard line. The clock stoppage gave New Orleans an opportunity to spike the ball before Rattler connected with Moreau for a touchdown on the very next play.
Following the game, Hochuli acknowledged the officiating error, admitting that the clock should not have been stopped in that situation.
So far this season, Hochuli’s crew has thrown the sixth-most penalty flags in the NFL, with 121 total penalties, 20 of which were dismissed. As for the home-away split, the numbers have been nearly identical, with 50 accepted penalties called against home teams and 51 against visiting teams. With Hochuli and his crew set to take the field on Sunday, it’ll be interesting to see whether officiating plays a factor in what could be a closely contested matchup between the Saints and Browns.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Veteran referee Shawn Hochuli assigned to Week 9 Saints-Browns game
