Apparently the frustration felt in Fayetteville two weeks ago when University of Arkansas head football coach Sam Pittman got his official SEC explanation of why a fumble was intentional grounding spread to Oxford, Ms.
Ole Miss had Auburn beat by the same score as Arkansas, 28-27, when a Rebel punt apparently touched the Tiger returner but was missed first by the official on the field and then apparently by replay officials.
The punt should have been ruled a fumble, which Ole Miss recovered in the end zone for what should have been a 35-27 lead. Instead Auburn drove for the winning touchdown.
How that happened is a great question.
Coach Lane Kiffin was late for his press conference and opened with this statement:
“I was late for this [press conference] because I was on the phone with [SEC director of officials] John McDaid … the SEC,” Kiffin said. “I really struggle with this a lot. I just had the conversation with him. He called to explain what happened. I really wish, for our players, for our fans, that they could hear what I was just told. I think they deserve to. But I asked … they made sure to tell me there’s a policy that I can’t tell you, the players or the fans what their, if you want to call it, explanation for that situation and how TV … everybody in the country could see it hit him.”
Auburn is officially 3-2 on the season instead of 1-4 thanks to the officials.