Mason Young
Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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NORMAN — The Southeastern Conference released a statement late Saturday night saying that Oklahoma’s trick play touchdown in the first half of its 24-17 win over Auburn should not have counted.
In the first half, OU quarterback John Mateer hit a wide open Isaiah Sategna for a 24-yard score to give the Sooners a 10-3 lead. Oklahoma had snuck Sategna toward its sideline after the previous play, which seemed to make Auburn think he was subbing out. The Tigers didn’t have a defender anywhere near him when he streaked uncovered to the end zone.
The SEC’s statement about the play reads as follows:
“In Saturday’s Auburn at Oklahoma football game, with 10:50 remaining in the second quarter, a pass was thrown to Oklahoma No. 5, resulting in a touchdown. Oklahoma No. 5 participated in the previous play, which was a first down play from the 22-yard line. After the first down play was completed, Oklahoma No. 5 continued towards his team’s sideline but stopped just before reaching the Oklahoma sideline.
“NCAA Football Rule 9-2, Article 2 is labeled ‘Unfair Tactics,’ with Paragraph B stating: No simulated replacements or substitutions may be used to confuse opponents. No tactic associated with substitutes or the substitution process may be used to confuse opponents. This includes any hideout tactic with or without a substitution.’
“The officiating crew did not properly interpret the action as a hideout tactic. If properly officiated, the second down play should have resulted in a team unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of 15 yards assessed from the previous spot. Appropriate accountability will be applied without additional comment.”
That lines up with what ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin said on the ABC broadcast not long after the now-controversial play occurred.
“You cannot use the substitution process to deceive your opponent,” Austin said. “If that’s what they were trying to do, that’s an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.”
ESPN sideline reporter Molly McGrath talked to referee Jeff Heaser about the play.
“All I can say about that is we confirmed there were 11 people on the field, and (Sategna) technically never left the field of play,” Heaser told McGrath. “That’s why it was never called.”
Former OU coach Bob Stoops told the OU radio broadcast that he had seen the Sooners run the play in practice during the week. He recalled that it was OU receiver Deion Burks’ job to talk trash to the safety and corner on that side of the field to distract the defense.
The play worked exactly how OU wanted it to. Television cameras caught OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle shouting “Let’s go” and, very subtly, extending his middle finger after the play.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze was not happy to say the least.
“I’d better be quiet,” Freeze said postgame, trying not to draw a fine. “They said they didn’t hear us trying to call a timeout. We’ll see. We were instructed all season about deception plays and things, so we’ll see what’s said. I really don’t know what will be said about that.”
Whether Freeze was indeed trying to call a timeout has since been called into question by a video clip posted to social media.
Arbuckle and OU head coach Brent Venables stood up for the play’s legality postgame.
“I don’t know how much toeing the line there was,” Arbuckle said. “It was a tempo play and he pointed to the ref and the ref nodded his head and said he was in there right there. So I don’t know how much deception went on there. It was just a ball play that we executed on.”
“We didn’t substitute,” Venables added. “We were on the field, we asked the officials — we’re lined up, we’re on the ball and everything’s good, legal. We weren’t in a big hurry or anything like that.”
In the end, it looks like OU got away with something. But that only underscores how poor the officiating was in the contest.
The referees flagged up a combined 22 penalties — 13 on Auburn, nine on Oklahoma — yet seemed ticky-tack with many of their whistles and missed big calls at other times.
Fumble returned for TD called back
Before the “deception play” touchdown, there was another controversial call involving Sategna.
On the Sooners’ first possession of the game, Mateer completed a short pass to Sategna, which the wideout appeared to fumble as he was tackled by Auburn’s Jahquez Robinson.
Auburn’s Kayin Lee ran the ball back for what was initially ruled a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 6-0 advantage early.
However, after video review, the refs changed the fumble to an incomplete pass.
“I don’t know how it’s not a fumble,” Freeze later said on the broadcast. “I don’t know. Maybe they had a different review up top. Looked like he juggled at first, regained, and ran. We stripped it. Thought it should have been a touchdown.”
Freeze expounded on his frustration after the game.
“I saw him bobble the catch initially, then gain possession of it with two hands right here, run two steps, us tackle and him roll over the back of us and the ball come out,” Freeze said.
OU takes away its 10th sack
One thing did get rectified amid all the chaos Saturday night.
Oklahoma initially counted a program single game record 10 sacks versus the Tigers. However, late Saturday night, the stat crew changed OU’s sack number to nine, which meant it only tied the previous program record.
The sack taken away was Marvin Jones Jr.’s takedown of Jackson Arnold during the first half Saturday. Jones was penalized for a horse collar tackle, negating the play and the sack.
That lines up with a Taylor Wein and David Stone combo sack on Auburn’s final drive that the stat keepers didn’t count because a holding penalty on a Tigers lineman nullified the play.
mason.young@tulsaworld.com
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Mason Young
Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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