The SEC is reportedly open to a big change that Tennessee Vols fans are begging for after close game against Mississippi State
The Tennessee Vols won a nail-biter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs this past weekend, pulling out a 41-34 overtime win in Starkville. Tennessee appeared to take a 27-24 lead with three minutes remaining in the third quarter when quarterback Joey Aguilar connected with wide receiver Chris Brazzell for a 59-yard touchdown. The touchdown, however, was […]
The Tennessee Vols won a nail-biter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs this past weekend, pulling out a 41-34 overtime win in Starkville.
Tennessee appeared to take a 27-24 lead with three minutes remaining in the third quarter when quarterback Joey Aguilar connected with wide receiver Chris Brazzell for a 59-yard touchdown.
The touchdown, however, was wiped off the board after Brazzell was called for a controversial offensive pass interference penalty.
Watching the game live, I wasn’t surprised that a flag was thrown. In real time, it looked like Brazzell may have pulled the defender down — especially from the perspective of the official who threw the flag. But the replay obviously shows that Brazzell simply made a play on the ball, and the defender fell while looking for the ball.
This is why pass interference penalties should be reviewable. That’s a game changing play. Tennessee missed out on a touchdown all because an official had a bad angle. A quick review would’ve confirmed that Brazzell didn’t commit offensive pass interference and the Vols would’ve had the six points they deserved from that play.
The good news is that the SEC is reportedly considering using replay for certain penalties in the future.
A big change could soon be coming to SEC football
According to The Athletic, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is open to some changes when it comes to how replay is used.
The SEC has reportedly discussed allowing viewers to listen in to the replay process (as the ACC is now doing). Sankey is also reportedly open to using replay to make the right call on “certain objective issues” (according to The Athletic, this would include things like illegal touching, formations or face mask penalties).
This would be a step in the right direction, but it’s not all that needs to be done.
The SEC needs to adopt a penalty challenge system where coaches have one challenge per game. Coaches should keep the challenge as long as they don’t lose a challenge (having a challenge late in the game would be a big asset, so coaches would need to make sure they’re using their challenge wisely). There’s no logical reason that a completed pass can be challenged but a missed offsides call or an obvious face mask can’t be challenged.
Taking things a step further, I think all pass interference calls should be automatically reviewed. The SEC just needs an official in the replay center to quickly confirm if it was really pass interference (and the SEC should allow viewers to hear the decision being made). Pass interference calls are subjective, which is why I don’t think they should be included in the challenge system.
Between the rise of sports gambling and the advances in replay, there’s no reason that penalties — which can impact a game as much as any completed pass or turnover — shouldn’t be reviewable. The tools are there to make sure every call is correct. What is the SEC waiting on?
Tennessee Volunteers News
The national media refuses to admit it, but Tennessee’s win over Mississippi State proved the Vols are a championship caliber team
For a little while on Saturday afternoon, I thought the Tennessee Vols were heading for their second loss of the season. Tennessee’s 41-34 overtime win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs was ugly. It was full of mistakes — from execution on the field to coaching decisions on the sidelines. The Vols made some big plays, […]
