Booger McFarland reacts to controversial Auburn fumble, takes jab over multiple length reviews

Booger McFarland is in disbelief with what he saw to end the first half of Saturday’s game between Georgia and Auburn. A controversial fumble call took potential points off the board for the Tigers, leaving coach Hugh Freeze livid heading into the locker room.

The play in question occurred with 1:32 remaining in the second quarter as Auburn QB Jackson Arnold appeared to cross the plane of the end zone for a touchdown. The ball was knocked out, but even the ESPN announcing crew was in agreement that Arnold was in the end zone before the ball came out.

However, that is not what officials ruled, as they called it a fumble and recovery for the Bulldogs after a review. Georgia went on to kick a field goal on the next drive, making it 10-3 instead of potentially 17-0. McFarland addressed the controversy at halftime, breaking down what he saw.

“First off, let’s just understand the rule,” he said. “The ball just has to break this white line. The tip of the ball has to touch the tip of that white line. If it does, it’s a touchdown. If you freeze that play, he still has control. There’s the white line. There’s the tip of the ball. It breaks the plane. The entire ball doesn’t have to cross. The tip of the ball has to touch the tip of the whilte line. If it does, it’s a touchdown. If I’m Hugh Freeze, I’d be upset. It’s 10-point swing. It should have been 17-0.”

That wasn’t the only big review that hurt the Tigers in the final two minutes of play. Auburn also saw cornerback Kayin Lee ejected for targeting after a hit on quarterback Gunner Stockton.

Officials were reviewing a catch from Lawson Luckie with one minute to go when they noticed that Lee’s hit on Stockton caused the QB’s head to jerk back. They called targeting and sent him to the locker room early as he is done for the day.

It definitely was an awful end to the half for the Tigers. Booger McFarland didn’t mince words and apologized to Auburn fans for what they saw.

“America, we apologize for those last two minutes,” he said.

We’ll see whether the Tigers can get more calls to go their way in the second half, but even if they do, that fumble is going to sting. At least they still have the lead and will look to hang on to it and pull off the upset.