Paul Finebaum says Auburn has been hurt by ‘unimaginable’ officiating
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The single biggest talking point from Week 7’s matchup between Auburn and Georgia was the questionable officiating that occurred at several crucial points of the game.
The two biggest points of contention (and anger) for Tigers’ fans were the goal-line fumble recovered by the Dawgs at the end of the first half, and the phantom timeout call by head coach Kirby Smart early in the fourth quarter.
Georgia’s goal-line fumble recovery, in particular, has been cited by many as the decisive turning point of the game, and SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum recently said on the Auburn Undercover podcast that he firmly believes the Tigers were hosed on that call by the referees.
“I have never, in all the years I’ve covered college football, seen a program more vulnerable to unimaginable calls than we have seen this year,” Finebaum said. “We all know about the Oklahoma game. The Georgia game was the same. Had that call been played correctly, Auburn would have gone up 17-0 and would have won the game.”
Finebaum is also referencing the Oklahoma game, where the Sooners scored a touchdown that should never have been allowed to happen, a play that the league office came out and said was a massive mistake on the part of the officials working the game.
Whether or not Finebaum’s take on the Georgia goal-line fumble is also correct is a matter of interpretation, but there’s no denying that Auburn has probably had more bad luck when it comes to officiating than any other team so far this season.
Asked about the officiating after Saturday’s game, Freeze said what most Auburn fans feel.
“It sure feels like we’re not getting many breaks,” he said. “It’s difficult to take, for sure.”
