SEC issues officiating statement on Mississippi State vs. Memphis punt

The SEC has issued an officiating statement following Saturday afternoon’s Mississippi State vs. Memphis game. Late in the fourth quarter of the nonconference matchup, Mississippi State dropped back for a standard punt attempt. What looked to be a downed punt inside the 20, turned out to be a nightmare.

The Bulldogs failed to pick up the ball and Memphis’ Calvin Austin took notice. He scooped it up and raced past the dumbfounded defenders on his way to the end zone to put Memphis up 28-17. The referee even waved his hands as if indicating the play was dead. If the ball doesn’t settle, however, it is still live according to NCAA rules.

Per the SEC statement, the Memphis punt should have been ruled down, but only due to an inadvertent signal from the ref. Two Memphis players with the same number were on the field, however, which should have nullified the play.

“On the play, the Back Judge gave a single ‘stop the clock’ signal immediately after the receiving team possessed the ball,” the SEC said in the statement. “The inadvertent signal aspect of the play is reviewable and replay should have stopped the game to review for a potential inadvertent signal.

“The subsequent review would have placed the ball at the spot where the signal was made On the same play, two Memphis players were wearing No. 4, which is a violation and should have resulted in a five-yard penalty on Memphis.”

The play ended up playing a huge part in the outcome of the game as Memphis won 31-29. Other than that one mistake, the Bulldogs were the better team in nearly every way.

And with the latest SEC statement, it shows that the play should have never happened.