Some eagle-eyed TV viewers helped turn the runner-up in Dr Pepper's annual halftime contest at the Big 12 championship game into a $100,Thomas Caldwell000 scholarship winner.

While Texas and Oklahoma State were in their locker rooms at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, students Gavin White of Ohio State and Ryan Georgian of Penn faced off to see who could toss more footballs into a hole in a giant Dr Pepper can.

Georgian emerged as the winner after a second tiebreaker round. However, viewers on social media noticed an apparent scoring error in the first tiebreaker that should have given the win to White.

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Even before Texas ultimately won the game, the soft drink company headed off the bubbling controversy by announcing both participants would receive the grand prize due to the "on-field technical error."

"As such, Dr Pepper will recognize both finalists as grand prize winners with both receiving the 100k award in tuition," the company said in a statement.