Former NFL referee disagrees with controversial Mississippi State play

Another special teams disaster set back Mississippi State before halftime against Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl, sparking controversy on the punt return rules. Former NFL referee and Sunday Night Football rules expert Terry McAulay took issue with the Mississippi State play, taking his thoughts about the officiating crew to Twitter on Tuesday night.

On fourth-and-17 from the Mississippi State 40-yard line, Texas Tech opted to punt the ball with just 31 seconds left in the first half. Punter Austin McNamara got the kick away with Mississippi State return man Austin Williams standing at the 13-yard line ready to receive. With a defender standing in front, he adjusted and dove forward attempting to field the kick but ended up touching it before a Texas Tech recovery.

“This was ruled touched by the receiver and recovered by the kicking team,” Terry McAulay posted with the video of the Mississippi State play. “It should have been a foul for interference. The kicking team player cannot be within one yard and within the width of the shoulders of the receiver.”

This was ruled touched by the receiver and recovered by the kicking team. It should have been a foul for interference. The kicking team player cannot be within 1 yard and within the width of the shoulders of the receiver. #MSSTvsTTU pic.twitter.com/NI08W6YBc2

— Terry McAulay (@SNFRules) December 29, 2021

The decision not to throw a flag gave Texas Tech the ball at the Mississippi State 14-yard line with 27 seconds remaining. The Red Raiders then went on a four-play, six-yard drive which ended with a 26-yard field goal from Jonathan Garibay.

Texas Tech took a 13-7 lead into the locker room after two plays from Mississippi State.

Mike Leach on Texas Tech

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach has never been shy about his feelings, and that characteristic rings particularly true when it comes to his old job at Texas Tech.

Leach was in Lubbock from 2000-2009, and he will face his old team on Tuesday in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. On Tuesday, he took a moment to comment on what he missed from West Texas.

“The biggest thing, generally, is the people because the people are pretty good people everywhere,” Leach said of those at his previous stops.

“I guess in Lubbock there were four bad apples that were determined to cheat me out of my salary. We know about that,” Leach added. “And the other four years on my contract, and then continued to hide the documents illegally. Short of that, everybody was great.”

In true Leach fashion, he also mentioned his favorite steak house, Cagle Steaks.

On Monday, Leach delved into the topic as well, claiming Texas Tech cheated him out of $2.6 million when they fired him for cause after a scandal involving the alleged mistreatment of an injured player. Receiver Adam James suffered a concussion and was reportedly locked in a dark room. When approached by James’ father calling for Leach’s firing, the school eventually suspended and then fired Leach.