Tim Tebow frustrated over officiating concerns in Oklahoma-Auburn game: 'I hope there's a change'

Even mild-mannered Tim Tebow was upset by what he saw take place on the field during last Saturday’s Auburn–Oklahoma game that hinged on a trick-play Sooners touchdown that SEC officials later deemed illegal. Hours after the Sooners’ 24-17 win over the visiting Tigers last Saturday in Norman, the SEC league office released a statement decrying Oklahoma’s second-quarter touchdown to Isaiah Sategna was the result of “unfair tactics” after Sategna feigned subbing out only to be left wide open for a go-ahead score.

During a Friday appearance on the SEC Network’s The Paul Finebaum Show, Tebow ripped into the officiating in the Auburn-Oklahoma game, citing several instances where the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Florida saw officials seemingly putting their thumb on the scales of the game.

“As a fan of the game and a massive fan of the SEC, I hate it when officials put the game in their hands. And I think there were so many times in this game where you could’ve said it just felt drastic,” Tebow said Friday afternoon while onsite in Athens, Ga. “Like the fumble that Auburn returned for a touchdown, that’s really close but it goes against them. The touchdown that we know (SEC) officials have said shouldn’t have happened. And some of the pass interference (calls) I thought they should’ve called against Cam Coleman. And if you’re an Auburn fan, you have to say … in the heart of sportsmanship and fairness, it didn’t feel that way.

“When you’re watching and evaluating the game, it really did feel like there were a lot of calls that went one way,” Tebow continued. “And as just a fan of the game that didn’t have a dog in the fight but just wants the players to dictate the wins and the loses, it’s frustrating. I hope there’s a change, I hope there’s accountability. … It did feel like the game shifted with those calls.”

Hugh Freeze admits he disagreed with ‘quite a few’ officiating calls vs. Oklahoma

On Monday, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze revealed “there were quite a few” calls from Saturday’s game that he submitted to SEC offices, before acknowledging nothing can be done to reverse those calls.

“There were quite a few that I disagreed with,” Freeze said during Monday’s press conference. “I have great respect for our SEC office and the job that they do, they have a tough job. There’s a fine line. You want so badly to defend your team, your players, your university. It’s a difficult position. And so I try to have respect for all sides, and it’s certainly hard to just accept.

“My grandfather always told me ‘Life’s not fair, get used to it and move on,’ so that’s been my approach this morning with our team — we’re going to move on to A&M. As disappointing as (Saturday was), I think everybody has their own opinion of the different calls made or not made in any given game. I know everybody shares an opinion on those in this (past) game, and I shared mine. And I’ve voiced those to the people that it matters to, but ultimately we can’t do anything about (the bad calls), so we’ve got to turn the page and move onto A&M.”

Auburn (3-1, 0-1 SEC) fell out of the AP Top 25 following the loss Saturday, but has a chance to redeem itself over the next several weeks. The Tigers hit the road again this upcoming Saturday at No. 9 Texas A&M (3:30 pm ET, ESPN) ahead of upcoming home games against No. 5 Georgia (3-0, 1-0) and No. 20 Missouri (4-0, 1-0).