SEC officiating releases statement on Isaiah Sategna TD controversy, admits incorrect call

Oklahoma dialed up a trick play for its first touchdown of the afternoon against Auburn. Sooners wide receiver Isaiah Sategna acted as if he were subbing out of the game just before stopping at the sideline. Before any defender noticed him, John Mateer took the snap and threw to a wide-open Sategna for the score.

Moments later, the ESPN broadcast explained how that was not a legal play. Instead, the touchdown should have been taken off the board, while Oklahoma got a 15-yard penalty. Neither was called by the SEC officiating crew, sending Hugh Freeze irate at the time and postgame.

Now, some clarity of the moment has come via the official SEC Officiating X account. A statement was released admitting the officiating crew got the call wrong.

“In Saturday’s Auburn at Oklahoma football game with 10:50 remaining in the 2nd quarter, a pass was thrown to Oklahoma #5 resulting in a touchdown,” the tweet said. “Oklahoma #5 participated in the previous play, which was a first down play from the 22-yard line. After the first down play was completed, Oklahoma #5 continued towards his team’s sideline but stopped just before reaching the Oklahoma sideline.

“NCAA football rule 9-2, Article 2 is labeled ‘unfair tactics’ with Paragraph (B) stating, ‘No simulated replacements or substitutions may be used to confuse opponents. No tactic associated with substitutes or the substitution process may be used to confuse opponents. This includes any hideout tactic with or without a substitution.’

“The officiating crew did not properly interpret the action as a hideout tactic. If properly officiated, the second play should have resulted in a team unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of 15 yards assessed from the previous spot.

“Appropriate accountability will be applied without additional comment.”

Per the Oklahoma radio broadcast, this was something the Sooners worked on during the week. Analyst Teddy Lehman got the information from former head coach Bob Stoops before relaying the information to the masses. Whether or not offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle knew the play was illegal, they executed the whole thing perfectly for the touchdown.

The final score wound up being 27-14 in favor of Oklahoma. A big win for head coach Brent Venables, while Freeze takes a tough loss to open SEC play. Not without a little controversy, though. Getting a statement from SEC Officiating cannot change the score but at the very least, there is some clarity for Auburn.