Referee forces Mitch Trubisky to fumble in Sun Bowl (Video)

North Carolina Tar Heels starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky fumbles the football thanks to the Sun Bowl referee getting in his way.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have one of the most talked about 2017 NFL Draft prospects on their roster in junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky. In his only year as a starter for the Tar Heels, Trubisky has shined as an accurate passer for a solid North Carolina team. He could leave school early and be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

He’s shifty in the backfield, too. The only problem is that he did fumble terribly late in the second half of the Hyundai Sun Bowl versus the Stanford Cardinal. It wasn’t his fault. Trubisky can honestly say that the refs were to blame.

Trubisky took a hop step to try to shake the Cardinal defender. However, when he juked to his right, the ball would be shot out of his right arm by the referee’s hand accidentally. Stanford would recover the fumble and would make a field goal to extend its lead to 13-7 near halftime.

That was the second turnover of the game from Trubisky. He threw a terrible pick earlier in the game, but that was his first interception in over four games. Trubisky’s last interception came against the arch rival Duke Blue Devils.

Overall, Trubisky could enter the 2017 NFL Draft and be a top-10 pick. Teams in the NFL are always looking for the next pro-style passer. Trubisky seems to be of the Andrew Luck/Blake Bortles pro-style of a big, strong, mobile quarterback. Mechanical issues and poor footwork are these prototype’s Achilles’ Heel.

Next: Best college quarterback born in every state

Trubisky has the arm strength, accuracy, and mobility to succeed in the NFL by his mid-20s. He may just need to be a little more aware when he’s carrying the football. That play fits right in with something we’d see happen with the Cleveland Browns or the New York Jets, two NFL teams in dire need of an upgrade at quarterback.