SEC says Tennessee’s late onside kick against Texas was incorrectly officiated

SEC says Vols should have been penalized five yards and forced to replay the down after late recovery against Texas.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Smokies.LIVE GameDay Center) — The Southeastern Conference said Monday that Tennessee’s successful onside kick late in Saturday’s 20-17 loss to top-ranked Texas was incorrectly officiated and should have resulted in a penalty against the Volunteers.

The ruling came after Tennessee appeared to recover the onside kick with 1:22 remaining at Neyland Stadium, giving the Vols another opportunity to tie or take the lead.

Tennessee had just cut Texas’ lead to 20-17 on a 30-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon to Mike Matthews.

Tennessee punter Jackson Ross then attempted an unconventional drop kick. The ball went toward Texas receiver Ryan Wingo, who was unable to secure it, and Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter recovered.

Officials initially threw a flag on the play before picking it up following a conference among the officiating crew.

The SEC said Monday that the play should have been penalized.

According to the conference, the drop kick itself was legal, but Ross kicked the ball at least one yard behind Tennessee’s 35-yard restraining line. The SEC also said Ross changed his lateral position between the hash marks after the ready-for-play signal, which was not permitted.

The proper ruling, according to the SEC, would have been a five-yard penalty against Tennessee and a replay of the down.

The conference acknowledged the officiating error in a statement released Monday.

Despite recovering the kick, Tennessee was unable to complete the comeback. The Vols drove to the Texas 14-yard line, but Brandon’s final pass into the end zone was broken up as time expired, preserving Texas’ 20-17 victory.

The SEC’s statement adds another layer to a dramatic finish that left Tennessee within one possession of the No. 1-ranked Longhorns.

The conference said it will continue working with NCAA football rules officials to ensure consistent application of free-kick rules.