Former ref explains why Alabama’s muffed punt vs. South Carolina should have been overturned
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Officiating in the SEC has been a major talking point throughout this season.
Hugh Freeze and Auburn have certainly suffered through their fair share of questionable calls, and their in-state neighbors had to deal with something similar on Saturday.
Clinging to a 15-14 early in the fourth quarter, South Carolina punted the ball away. Alabama‘s return man signaled for his teammates to move away from the ball where it landed, but a Gamecock appeared to push a Tide player in the back to get him to hit the pigskin.
South Carolina quickly fell on the ball after it ricocheted downfield, and they would score soon after to take a crucial 22-14 lead in the final frame.
Alabama would of course go on to rally for the win, but many still raised complaints about the lack of any penalty on that play.
Former NFL official and current rules analyst Terry McAulay took to social media to lay out why there could have been two fouls assessed following the fumble.
1. It is a foul for an illegal block in the back.2. The receiving team player being block is considered ‘passive’ since he is not actively engaged with the kicking team player. That block forces him into the ball. Since he is considered ‘passive’, he is deemed *not* to have touched the ball. Assuming no one else from the receiving team touched the before the kickers, the ball should belong to the receiving team at the spot of the kicking team recovery.”
McAulay proceeded to sarcastically suggest that the referees may be suspended due to this misstep, which comes after the SEC banned an official earlier last week for a call during the Georgia-Auburn game.
Parker is currently the sports editor with the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
