Jimbo Fisher criticizes officiating after Texas A&M win over Kent State
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Texas A&M led Kent State by a 10-3 margin at halftime of its season opener but eventually pulled away from the Golden Flashes in a 41-10 win at Kyle Field on Saturday.
It wasn’t without a few struggles, as Haynes King threw a pair of interceptions in his first career start. He did finish with 3 touchdowns and 292 yards on 21-of-33 passing. The running game stole the show for the Aggies as Devon Achane and Isaiah Spiller combined for 237 yards on 29 carries, with Achane finding the end zone twice as A&M rolled up a total of 303 yards on the ground.
A key play occurred in the 3rd quarter as Leon O’Neal scored on an interception return for a touchdown as the Aggies opened up a 20-3 lead on their way to spoiling any inclinations of a Kent State upset. Seconds earlier, O’Neal had been whistled for what was ruled a late hit out of bounds on Kent State defender Nekiem Johnson but had it overturned after it was reviewed for targeting as it would eventually be ruled a 15-yard personal foul.
Jimbo Fisher was asked about the call after the game.
“The hit was in bounds. So why was there a 15-yard penalty?” he wondered.
Fisher was also critical of several other plays made by the officiating crew throughout the game.
“Guess they were pretty shabby, too,” he quipped. “[It was] their first game. They weren’t on top of it at all. At all.”
You can watch the video below:
Jimbo Fisher on the officiating Saturday against Kent State: pic.twitter.com/GOmvgwkxsB
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Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
