‘Fire The Crew’: Penn State Fans Lose It Over SEC Officials
No. 10 Penn State football escaped its annual White Out with a huge 28-20 win over No. 22 Auburn Saturday night, but it wasn’t without a little controversy.
Following the game, fans took to Twitter to sound off on the night’s officiating crew that was borrowed from the SEC as part of the Nittany Lions’ home-and-home agreement with Auburn. Big Ten officials will correspondingly travel to Jordan–Hare Stadium next season.
Most complaints centered on a strange mid-game series that saw Penn State get called for intentional grounding on first down. Penn State’s ensuing play appeared to be 2nd & 15, but markers on the sideline indicated it was instead third down. Penn State then punted on 3rd & 11 despite being told it was fourth down.
In a statement, the SEC said the game’s officiating crew discovered the error during a media timeout but couldn’t correct it. Here’s what James Franklin had to say postgame:
Naturally, Nittany Lions fans rationally reacted to the unusual exchange:
So either the fix was in or they are totally incompetent. One of the two must be true.
— SportsPhilly (@New2Normal) September 19, 2021
When the ref had to rule the Auburn player down on the fumble recovery for a touchdown (which was the correct call) he had a look on his face like “sssshhhhiiiiiitttttttt I don’t wanna rile these folks up.” He knew they had a bad night as a crew.
— John O (@SpecialSauce747) September 19, 2021
Always play 13 players – 12 plus the refs. Couple of other really bad obvious calls. Glad they still pull it out even against 13
— Chris (@ChristyleeW74) September 19, 2021
There needs to be consequences! This was the absolute worst officiating I have ever witnessed. If this crew goes unpunished we are telling officials this type of corruption and cheating is acceptable. Period.
— Nicole Leshok (@NLeshok) September 19, 2021
Insanity. We beat 2 teams tonight
— n/a (@xanvilpinatax) September 19, 2021
@coachjfranklin that was @McGloinQB11 era bad officiating. Game changing calls the team had to overcome.
— PSU_Ranger (@PSU_Ranger) September 19, 2021
How could they not simply count 1-4, like pre school
— Tim J. Debias (@BuckWhisperer_) September 19, 2021
Then the 4th down where they blow a phantom whistle while the play is still going on. The most inept officiating crew we have seen in yrs.
— tmat2021 (@tmat2021) September 19, 2021
Wow. Fire the crew
— mlda25 (@scotty_manziel) September 19, 2021
Your ad blocker is on.
Please choose an option below.
Purchase a Subscription!
About the Author
The Stuff That Stuck: Jake Musmanno’s Senior Column
My Penn State experience was made up of a million little moments I never planned for — and somehow, those end up meaning the most.
James Franklin Empasizes Control For Penn State Football As Spring Transfer Window Begins
As the spring transfer portal opens, only JB Nelson has announced his intent to leave the program.
Joe DeRenzo Touting Healthcare & Education Experience In Board Of Trustees Campaign
“We have a critical gap in both academia and healthcare, and being immersed in both together on a daily basis, working on these collaborative committees, I can contribute, certainly, to both.”
