Posted on 10/22/2023 8:46:03 PM PDT by lasereye
The Tennessee Vols played about as badly as they ever have under Josh Heupel in the second half against Alabama on Saturday.
And the coaching/playcalling decisions were probably the worst we've seen from Heupel since he arrived at UT in early 2021.
But that shouldn't be the narrative after Tennessee's 34-20 loss in Tuscaloosa.
The officiating on Saturday wasn't just bad, it was almost blatantly obvious that the officials were doing everything they could to make sure Alabama didn't lose.
And look, I'm sure Bama fans are already rolling their eyes and yelling "excuses" to the top of their lungs.
But I'm not accepting that. Not after that debacle.
You can't win in Tuscaloosa when the officials are that one-sided.
I mean, it's bad when even Dan Wolken, who never hesitates to take a shot at Tennessee, is pointing out the terrible officiating.
The terrible officiating started early. In the first quarter, the Vols had to settle for a field goal after a blatant hold on tight end McCallan Castles was missed (the hold happened before Joe Milton's passed was tipped). Tennessee should've had a first down there. Instead, it was fourth down and they kicked a field goal.
On Alabama's first series in the second half, an obvious hold on Vols defensive lineman Tyler Baron wasn't called on the Crimson Tide's 46 yard touchdown. The penalty should've negated the touchdown. It was a game-changing no call.
If you're wondering if the official's whistles worked, they did. They had no problem calling a ticky-tack hold on Vols tight end Jacob Warren in the second half that set the Vols' offense back. And they quickly blew the whistle for a barely noticeable hold on Tennessee cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally when the Vols had stopped Alabama on third down.
Even on one of the Vols' final efforts in the fourth quarter, Bama defensive back Malachi Moore was draped all over Squirrel White. Crickets from the officials.
There were plenty of other blatantly awful calls that I'm sure you'll see floating around on social media.
The only penalty called on Alabama was a five yard penalty for an illegal snap that actually saved the Crimson Tide from a potential turnover/negative play.
By the way, if Bama fans want to mention the play where Elijah Herring tried to punch the ball out but missed, maybe they should look at the clip of Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton donkey kicking Vols defensive back Doneiko Slaughter right in front of an official.
Tennessee could've played better. The offense was atrocious in the second half. The playcalling was unimaginative. But even then, the Vols still had a chance in the second half to win the game. And if the officials call the game even close to fairly, Tennessee has a great chance to win.
Nick Saban and Alabama stole that win. The officials made sure they didn't lose. That should be the narrative. And the NCAA should open a full investigation into this game. It's all there on film, you can see for yourself. It's beyond time for SEC officiating to be held accountable.
HE just sign an extension to his contract. IIRC—to 2029
That was pretty bad too.
"Rebels"
Vegas has the final word.
People are bread and circus morons for watching this crap.
Just watch any passing play and you will see offensive holding. They couldn’t call it because it would effectively throttle the offence. Football has become a three ring circus, it is just entertainment.
They’re just NOW noticing this. Officials have been in the bag for Alabama for years.
It’s not just the SEC...
They’re bigger suckers if they bet on it.
I think NIL needs to be regulated as well. You take a NIL deal, you lose your scholarship and pay your own way.
So was allowing a forearm shot to Alabama RB Williams well after he was down.
RollTide CrimsonTidegirl.
RLTW
It’s the gambling, obviously.
Since the advent of legalized gambling no sports featuring in-the-moment calls is, or can be, honest. Too much $$. You can watch the calls change with the odds.
The entire “college sports” industry (yes it’s an industry) has become an abomination. The waste is stunning. 100’s of thousands “fans” traveling across the country every weekend. Screaming, fighting, killing, wearing their “colors”. Billions of dollars wasted every weekend. Another once-legitimate institution corrupted by the entertainment moguls. It isn’t sports folks, it’s a show.
Saw my one and only TN vs AL game live at Neyland in the mid 50s sitting in the nose bleed section even at that time and got to see the Million Dollar band. I don’t remember who won. I became a GA fan in the 70s and lost interest in TN then Tippy became coach and screwed up TN football. My next favorite team after GA is whoever FL is playing that week.
Where else can I go to see the doofus white male commercials? Or the happy white gal with the black dude?
Probably Andre Ware. He went there.
Good grief, TN fans are the biggest crybabies. I’m not even going to fully address a certain interception that was mysteriously called back last year for phantom reasons.
In the game Saturday, TN linemen could have been called for holding on almost every pass play, especially the interior linemen. There was also one of the most blatant punches to a player’s head non calls I have ever seen.
The fair catch KO call was the right call. You may not like the rule, but it was correct.
Both sides got away with pass interference at times, and Burton could have had a penalty for kicking a TN player, which would have been enforced on the kickoff, but the refs had to keep their flag in their pocket because of the head punch non call earlier.
All in all, I thought the game was evenly called, with a focus more towards letting the players play.
Over a billion dollars is bet on college football annually...
That’s a mighty fine incentive to screw with officiating.
And not just in the SEC.
It’s a tradition that goes waaaay back ...30’s? 40’s?
Many, many decades ago, Florida and Georgia wanted to play each other, but neither had enough money to go to each others fields, so they decided to meet each other halfway in Jacksonville, a neutral field, and it’s been that way ever since............
I watched a good part of that game. Besides the blatant missed calls, I was confused with the “snap infraction”. Didn’t see anything weird except that nobody moved when the ball was snapped. The play starts when the ball is snapped whether the QB is ready or not, correct? And no explanation from the commentators who, by the way, are getting pretty bad across the channels. So, what was the “infraction? Did he double clutch the snap?
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