Saturday afternoon’s game between the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers and the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs was an absolutely massive game in the College Football Playoff landscape. As a result, you’d expect everyone involved to be at their absolute best from the players, to the coaches, to the game’s officials. But apparently, the referees didn’t quite get the memo.
During the first quarter of Saturday’s high-profile game, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker appeared to fumble the ball in the end zone. The ball was picked up by a Volunteers offensive lineman who appeared to fumble the ball out of the end zone, where it was recovered by Tennessee just outside of the end zone.
However, the video replay clearly showed that the Tennessee offensive lineman did not fumble the ball before he was tackled in the end zone. As a result, the play should have been called a safety. The only real question seemed to be whether or not Hooker fumbled the ball in the first place.
A bizarre non-safety call was followed by a Tennessee punt… and then Georgia just went ahead and scored a touchdown on the next play. 🏈 pic.twitter.com/tOKK8pFPZF
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 5, 2022
But apparently, the replay officials were not seeing the same thing as the rest of the world as they declared that the play “stands” as it was called on the field. As a result, the college football world absolutely blasted them for it.
HAHAHAHA
The initial call stands.
Officials went with the only scenario that was 100 percent wrong.
You can't make it up.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 5, 2022
Or the call is going to stand somehow but hey break for the Vols. https://t.co/wb4KjYJAj8
— Mike Wilson (@ByMikeWilson) November 5, 2022
I'm excited for at least one Georgia political candidate to cut an ad centered on that review
— Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub) November 5, 2022
https://twitter.com/MattRHinton/status/1588990414220300288?s=20&t=3AoQMOPvawlMa-Z8wBAnSQ
It all worked out for Georgia in the end, however, as the Bulldogs scored a touchdown on the first play immediately after receiving the Tennesee punt.
Now that's a Ball Don't Lie touchdown if I've ever seen one.
— Adam Jacobi (@adam_jacobi) November 5, 2022
Still, it was a terrible call in a massive moment.
