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Hugh Freeze calls out officiating in Auburn loss to Oklahoma; SEC says refs missed call
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- Hugh Freeze calls out officiating in Auburn loss to Oklahoma; SEC says refs missed call
No. 25 Auburn football dropped its first game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 20, with the Tigers dropping their SEC opener in a 24-17 loss at No. 12 Oklahoma
The defeat didn't happen without some notable officiating calls that didn't go the Tigers' way — something Freeze showed visible frustration with, both in the game and in his postgame news conference.
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The SEC later said officials missed a call on a play during the second quarter.
The first play came on second-and-10 on Oklahoma's opening drive of the game, when it looked as though Tigers cornerback Kayin Lee had a 65-yard scoop-and-score touchdown after the ball popped out of the hands of Sooners wide receiver Isaiah Sategna.
"I don't know how it's not a fumble," Freeze told ESPN's Molly McGrath during an in-game interview, according to Awful Announcing . "I don't know. Maybe they had a different review upstairs. Looked like he juggled at first, regained, and ran. We stripped it. Thought it should have been a touchdown."
Freeze doubled down on his frustration of the situation in his postgame news conference with reporters when offering what he saw on the play. OU hit a 49-yard field goal on that drive to take an early 3-0 lead as a result of the overturned call.
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"I saw him bobble the catch initially and then gain possession of it with two hands and run two steps, us tackle, and him roll over the top of us and the ball come out," Freeze said, according to the Montgomery Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The overturned call in the first quarter wasn't the only play that caused Freeze consternation, as he had to one point in his news conference say, "I better be quiet" of the officiating.
Freeze also addressed another that ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin should have been flagged. It was a controversial no-call on a "deviating" trick play that the Sooners ran in the second quarter. Sategna appeared to be subbing out of the game but instead stayed on the field, resulting in a wide-open touchdown down the left sideline.
"They said they didn't hear us trying to call timeout," Freeze said on that play. "We were instructed all offseason about deceptive plays. We'll see what's said. I really don't know what will be said about that."
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McGrath reported on the ABC broadcast that the officials confirmed there were 11 players on the field, and didn't see anything illegal beyond that, removing any possibility of a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Oklahoma.
But the SEC said after the game that a penalty should have been called on the play.
Auburn moved to 3-1 overall (0-1 in SEC play) following Saturday's loss. The Tigers will conclude their two-game road trip on Saturday, Sept. 27 with a visit to No. 10 Texas A&M.
SEC admits blown call
After the game, SEC put out a statement saying it should penalized Oklahoma for a "hideout tactic" on the touchdown play in the second quarter.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Auburn's Hugh Freeze on officiating in OU game: 'I better be quiet'
