Hugh Freeze lambasts officials for overturned fumble against Oklahoma
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Hugh Freeze was none too pleased.
The Auburn head coach thought the Sooners had fumbled the football. He thought his Tigers had picked up the fumble, returned it for a touchdown, and opened Saturday’s top-25 matchup with an early 7-0 lead. The officiating crew ruled the play a fumble on the field, but replay overturned the call and gave the ball back to Oklahoma.
When the ESPN crew caught Freeze on the sideline between the first and second quarters, he expressed his displeasure with the decision.
“I don’t know how it’s not a fumble,” coach Hugh Freeze said. “I don’t know. Maybe they had a different view up top. It looked like he juggled it first, regained it, and ran. We stripped it. Thought it should have been a touchdown.”
Here’s the play in question:
And this was Freeze’s reaction right after the call was overturned:
Oklahoma went on to kick a field goal on the drive to take an early 3-0 lead.
The Tigers answered right back with a 10-play, 87-yard drive that ended with a tying field goal.
The Sooners broke the tie early in the second quarter after a disastrous Auburn possession gave the Sooners the ball at the Auburn 12. Quarterback John Mateer found Isaiah Sategna III open for a touchdown to put OU up 10-3.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
