One of the biggest controversial calls we’ll see all season happened in the Alabama-Ole Miss game.
When Chad Kelly rolled out nearing the line of scrimmage, he hit the 73-yard pop-pass for a touchdown. The officials immediately ruled that Kelly had crossed the line of scrimmage before he let go of the football, but the call was reversed, thus giving the Rebels a critical touchdown.
Saban confirmed Wednesday that Alabama sent the replay into the league’s office for clarification on the play and lineman who appeared downfield, according to CBS Sports, which is not a reviewable call under the current rule.
However, Saban didn’t blame the touchdown on the missed call Wednesday.
“These plays get blocked just like running plays, and people are running down the field,” Saban said on the SEC’s coaches teleconference. “So it looks like a run, but somebody’s running out for a pass. Hey, we work on these plays, we should cover them, we know what the rules are. We have to execute and do it correctly, which we did not.
“It’s not about the rules or anything else, but if there was anything we’d look at, that’s what I would say we should look at.”
The current rule allows ineligible receivers to move just three yards downfield. As you can see by the image below, the lineman appears to be five yards downfield.
Blown call. His leg is still in the backfield. pic.twitter.com/ycSPnVHAjv
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) September 20, 2015
Here’s the video replay:
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
