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‘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:

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About the Author

Matt DiSanto

Matt proudly served as Onward State’s managing editor for two years until graduating from Penn State in May 2022. Now, he’s off in the real world doing real things. Send him an email ([email protected]) or follow him on Twitter (@mattdisanto_) to stay in touch.

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