NCAA Must Start Investigating the Referees of Georgia Football Games
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The collision between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs on October 10 ended with the Bulldogs on top. But it did not end without an asterisk.
Late in the fourth quarter, down 20-17 with 3:28 to go, Alabama had a chance to score a big go-ahead touchdown or at least get deep into Georgia’s red zone. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell launched a 30-yard pass to Rico Scott, who was knocked over in a blatant pass interference by Georgia safety KJ Bolden.
The referees decided there was no penalty on the play, causing Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer to erupt in a rare show of rage. Georgia sacked Keelon Russell the very next play, and that was the beginning of the end. This raises serious concerns about referee performance.
The very next week, October 17, showed what would happen more often if the Bulldogs aren’t getting any extra help. The Auburn Tigers upset them 27-24 with a game-winning field goal as time expired. No suspicious flags. So then why can’t the officiating be consistently down the middle? Is there any foul play at hand?
We’ll call this year’s Georgia vs. Alabama contest Exhibit A, a quite incriminating incident. Online comment sections suspect the refs of gambling on the game. Or maybe the refs just favor Georgia. Either way, wasn’t the first time the Bulldogs benefited from some eyebrow-raising calls or no-calls, and it’s time that the SEC and NCAA launch an investigation.
Exhibit B: No Glory For Ol’ Georgia
Only nine months ago was the refs’ last attempt to screw Georgia’s opponents. In the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals, the referees handed Georgia a game-tying field goal when the Ole Miss Rebels were up 34-31. A laughable defensive pass interference and holding call, both within the last two minutes, gave the Bulldogs a chunk of yardage to guarantee an easy three points.
Thankfully for the Rebels, they held Georgia to just a field goal. A touchdown may have pushed Georgia to the next round.
However, that wasn’t the worst call of the game. A few minutes before that, the refs missed an obvious facemask penalty on Georgia. The no-call cost Ole Miss the drive.
In a physical game and year of playoffs where the refs leaned toward letting the players play, a trifecta of horribly officiated plays within the span of several minutes was extremely suspicious. It didn’t help that the refs may have wanted to see Georgia take on their former quarterback, Carson Beck, who had transferred to the Miami Hurricanes, in the next round.
But one must question if Georgia even earned their way into that game. It certainly wasn’t the first time last season they got some help from the men in stripes.
Exhibit C: He’s Not Clapping
Against the Auburn Tigers, a slew of questionable flags or lack thereof helped the Bulldogs come back from down 10.
The most egregious call came when, early in the fourth quarter, Georgia coach Kirby Smart called timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty. He then lied to the refs, claiming he was clapping to indicate that the Auburn sideline was clapping to throw off the Bulldogs offense.
The refs actually believed him, saving Georgia both a timeout and a delay of game penalty. While it didn’t change the outcome, this play was called a fumble when it very possibly should’ve been a touchdown absolutely changed the trajectory of the game.
As if the game itself wasn’t enough to show that something was wrong with the officiating, the SEC suspended the crew chief, Ken Williamson. Williamson had said prior to the game that he planned to retire after the season, fueling the possibility he may have been less inclined to call the game down the middle if he wasn’t going to need the job for much longer anyway.
Furthermore, the SEC refused to comment on the situation, and that always indicates something fishy is happening.
Exhibit D: The Zebras Help the Bulldogs Escape the Gators
The Florida Gators were another team that got close to upsetting the Bulldogs last season, and they may have pulled it off had it not been for the men in zebra stripes.
With just over three minutes left in the game, Florida was down 24-20, and Gators QB DJ Lagway launched a bomb to J. Michael Sturdivant on 3rd-and-four. The ball may have hit the ground, but from this angle, it looks like a good catch.
Of course, the referees called it an incompletion, robbing Florida of the chance to score a go-ahead touchdown on that drive.
While this play was less controversial than all the other aforementioned plays, is it really just a coincidence that another 50/50 play goes Georgia’s way? Even college football podcaster and commentator Joel Klatt said that Georgia gets an incredible whistle in big moments.
It is a very small possibility that Georgia has just had some really good luck over the past few years, and all the calls that shouldn’t have gone their way but did were legitimate officiating mistakes. But these mistakes have become a pattern, a pattern that reveals a problem and possible corruption. This has gone on long enough, and the SEC and NCAA need to put an end to it.
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