Florida Gators get screwed by the referees in Oxford, and the entire college football world saw the brutal injustice
It’s absurd that the officials had this much of a factor on the game.
This has not been a banner season for the Florida Gators, but they had a chance to take a huge step toward ending it on a high note.
Saturday night brought the Ole Miss Rebels, who the Gators beat last year in The Swamp, essentially ending their College Football Playoff chances. This year, they had a chance to do the same, but this time in Oxford.
After heading into halftime up 24-20, things were looking good for the Gators, but the offense struggled with consistency in the second half. Even so, the defense got two goal-line stops to set them up with just over two minutes to go and a chance to win or tie the game at 27.
Florida Gators get screwed by the officials on potential game-winning drive
It was first down at the three-yard line, leaving the Gators a 97-yard field to try and navigate down to make this game interesting. Quarterback DJ Lagway had running back Jadan Baugh on a swing/wheel route down the right side of the field, and the ball ended up incomplete.
The fact that it wasn’t completed isn’t the issue; it’s that the defender hits Baugh too early, and did so pretty blatantly.
Now, it wasn’t a dirty hit, nor was it egregious, but it was certainly very early and occurred before the ball arrived. Here’s where things get more interesting. The referees threw a flag on the play because it was clear that a penalty had been committed.
The referees didn’t end up calling a penalty and picked up the flag.
It was absurd in real time during the game, and even more so when you look at the replay after the fact. It was as blatant as it could get, and picking up the flag makes no sense. It’s why some people claim football games are rigged.
The Gators had three more downs to try and get the first down to extend the drive, but they couldn’t get it done. We shouldn’t have to look back at a poor decision from the referees as something that changed the game, but here we are. The Gators got robbed of having the ball at the 18 with room to breathe and a first down. That could have changed the game, and maybe would have been the one play we could look back at when Lane Kiffin “possibly” takes the Gators head coaching job.
The Gators lost the game on their own fruition, but this was a brutal non-call that prevented a better chance at a game-winning drive.
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