Mizzou AD says Tigers requested formal review from SEC after Texas game
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Mizzou athletic director Laird Veatch disclosed on Monday that the school asked the SEC for a formal review of the officiating during Saturday’s controversial home loss to Texas.
The Tigers fell, 34-20, in the battle of ranked teams in Columbia, but despite the 2-touchdown final margin there were a number of calls that could have gone either way, which could have changed the outcome in the all-important SEC battle.
Mizzou lost that battle and suffered a 3rd loss of the season that could potentially crush its College Football Playoff hopes. Meanwhile, Texas prevailed and avoided that potentially crushing 3rd loss, so those controversial calls during Saturday’s game not only helped determine the result, they might have just helped determine the course of both teams’ seasons.
Included among those calls was the ruling on Arch Manning’s “fumble” that allowed the Longhorns to recover, gain yards and eventually win the game by 2 touchdowns. After the game, the SEC released a statement which clarified that the ruling on the field was a fumble and there wasn’t clear evidence for the replay booth to overturn the call.
With the SEC statement explaining the call while the Mizzou fan base stewed with a strong belief that the play should have been ruled an incomplete pass and a 4th down for Texas instead of the 1st down it got, Veatch chimed in on Monday with his statement and the disclosure of that formal review being requested.
Here is part of Veatch’s statement on Saturday’s controversy-filled game:
After the game Saturday, we requested a formal review and response from the SEC regarding the officiating. Consistent with SEC expectations, we will not make those conversations or responses public, other than that we have not received anything inconsistent with what the conference has already shared publicly.
Veatch also wanted to acknowledge the passion of Mizzou fans who feel the Manning call as well as others in the game helped determine the outcome. He also wrote in Monday’s statement:
I know and share your deep frustration and disappointment with how Saturday’s football game played out. The stakes for these games have never been higher, and with that comes the responsibility for getting things right.
It also should be noted that Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz did not comment on the officiating after Saturday’s crushing loss.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
