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Most controversial call of the 2020 season costs Arkansas a win over No. 13 Auburn
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Arkansas should be 2-1. A controversial call at the end of Saturday’s game between the Razorbacks and No. 13 Auburn cost Sam Pittman’s bunch a chance to be heading into Week 4 with a winning record.
Late in the 4th quarter, Arkansas owned a 28-27 lead on Auburn, but the Tigers were driving and had worked their way into field goal range. But controversy came on a 3rd-and-1, when Auburn QB Bo Nix fumbled the snap, then spiked it into the turf in an attempt to stop the clock.
But Nix actually spiked the ball backwards and Arkansas fell on it, which should’ve been ruled a fumble. Instead, the officials ruled the play an incomplete pass with intentional grounding, as the ball didn’t reach the line of scrimmage.
Upon review, officials determined the ruling was upheld. Here is the play:
Down one w/ seconds left., Auburn’s Bo Nix fumbles the snap then tries to spike it by throwing it behind him.
But the call was ruled intentional grounding rather than a fumble. Auburn then kicked a FG w/ :07 left to win 30-28 #ARKvsAUB pic.twitter.com/f0AD54BriE
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) October 10, 2020
Because of the ruling, Auburn retained possession and kicker Anders Carlson trotted onto the field and drilled a 39-yard attempt with 7 seconds left to lift the Tigers to a 30-28 victory over the Razorbacks.
Auburn improved to 2-1 with the win, while Arkansas now sits at 1-2.
There’s no question, though, those records should be reversed.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB