Clark Lea calls out rule which cost Vanderbilt vs. Texas: 'I hate when officiating gets in the way'

Vanderbilt used some trickeration in the first half of Saturday’s game against Texas. Unfortunately for the Commodores, a penalty wiped out what could have been a big play.

With the score tied 7-7 and Vanderbilt facing a fourth-and-1 from its own 34 in the first quarter, head coach Clark Lea opted to keep the offense on the field. Quarterback Diego Pavia turned to the sideline, as did several members of the offense, and appeared confused.

As a portion of the offense did that, tight end Eli Stowers snuck under center, took the snap, and handed the ball to receiver Junior Sherrill, who ran for 9 yards on a sweep. Vanderbilt would have had a first down near midfield, but instead, receiver Quincy Skinner was tagged with an illegal formation penalty for having his shoulders turned to the sideline. Clark Lea was asked about the call after the 27-24 loss.

“I’m disappointed in that call. And there’s a conversation to be had about it,” Lea said. “You know, he’s on the line of scrimmage, and the explanation I got is that you can’t be on the line of scrimmage and have your shoulders turned. So it was a moment for us to be aggressive. I thought it was a great play call and executed well. And, you know, I hate it when officiating gets in the way of the game.”

Instead of having a first down, Vanderbilt was forced to punt. The Longhorns scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive to take a 14-7 lead.

The call was obviously a pivotal one and Lea wasn’t thrilled with the explanation he received.

“That’s not any kind of statement, because those guys are doing exactly what they’re told to do,” Lea said. “But, you know, I’m anxious to have the conversation about what the point of emphasis was there and also just to make sure that we know, there’s plenty of opportunities for us to know what they’re seeing and what they’re emphasizing for the officials to see. I mean that play is not affected by Quincy Skinner’s shoulders.”