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Auburn AD Releases Statement About Costly Officiating Mistake in Loss to Oklahoma

Auburn remains "extremely disappointed" that Oklahoma wasn't flagged for their illegal touchdown.

Eva Geitheim

The Oklahoma Sooners were not penalized despite wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III catching a touchdown pass after acting like he was substituting out of the game vs. Auburn.
The Oklahoma Sooners were not penalized despite wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III catching a touchdown pass after acting like he was substituting out of the game vs. Auburn. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Auburn remains "disappointed" that Oklahoma wasn't called for a flag on their illegal trick-play touchdown on Saturday.

In the second quarter of the Tigers' 24-17 loss to the Sooners, Oklahoma wide receiver Isaiah Sategna acted like he was substituting out of the game. Before Sategna reached the sideline, the Sooners snapped the ball and quarterback John Mateer threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to him.

This type of tactic goes against the rules, and when attempted, is supposed to be called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which the SEC acknowledged in a statement after the game.

"The officiating crew did not properly interpret the action as a hideout tactic," the SEC's statement read in part. "If properly officiated, the second down 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."

Though the SEC addressed the mistake in a statement, Auburn decided to follow up with a statement of their own on Thursday. The statement, from athletic director John Cohen, expressed their belief that the Tigers' athletes "deserved better."

Here is the full statement from Cohen:

“After reflecting, I want to take a moment to address what transpired last Saturday at Oklahoma. Since the game, Auburn University President Dr. Chris Roberts and I have had extensive conversations with Southeastern Conference leadership, including Commissioner Sankey. 

“We remain extremely disappointed because our young men prepare each week to compete at the highest level. They deserve to have the game officiated at an optimum level.

“We fully understand the human element of the officiating process. Judgment calls don’t always go your way. Saturday went beyond judgement calls. A specifically emphasized rule was not properly officiated which impacted the game by giving our opponent the lead.

“As the SEC acknowledged, the Auburn family and our student-athletes deserved better."

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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