Auburn players, coaches and fans were upset with a ruling on a punt return late in their 21-17 loss at South Carolina on Saturday night.
The Gamecocks were leading the Tigers 21-17 and had a 4th-and-4 from their 43-yard line with 2:21 left. South Carolina chose to punt.
The Gamecocks’ punt bounced around the 21, went sideways near an Auburn player, and South Carolina picked up the ball. South Carolina’s players immediately began pointing as if they got possession of the ball, while Auburn’s player, Jaylin Simpson, held his hands up as if to say the ball didn’t hit him.
Below are two video angles of the play.
https://twitter.com/FTBVids_YT/status/1462267115457560583
The officials initially gave possession to Auburn, but they reviewed the play. They ended up changing the call and giving South Carolina possession. The officials said the ball touched Simpson.
Since Auburn didn’t have any timeouts left, South Carolina was able to kneel out the clock for the win.
Auburn coach Bryan Harsin addressed the call after the game and shared what he was told.
Bryan Harsin on what he was told about the punt at the end of the game: "I don't know, that he touched it. That's really what it comes down to. I didn't see that on the field…. They didn't call it on the field. They turned it over and decided it touched him."
— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) November 21, 2021
Given they did not make the call on the field, it’s hard to see what conclusive evidence led the officials to overturn the call. The play was close, but there did not seem to be anything conclusive enough to overturn it.
That’s a tough way for Auburn to lose.
