SEC: Auburn Should Have Been Penalized On Final Play

South Carolina probably won’t feel any better knowing this, but the Gamecocks should have gotten another play at the end of Saturday’s loss at Auburn.

The Southeastern Conference said Sunday that Auburn should have been penalized for a uniform violation on the final play of its 42-35 win over South Carolina Saturday night.

On the final play, Gamecocks quarterback Dylan Thompson’s Hail Mary to the end zone was intercepted to clinch the Tigers’ victory.

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But on that final play, Auburn had inserted 6-foot-2 wide receiver D’haquille Williams in the secondary as an extra defensive back.

Williams wears No. 1, as does defensive tackle Montravius Adams, who was also on the field for the final play.

The infraction would have been a 5-yard penalty against Auburn and an untimed down for South Carolina.

It would have been bad had seven officials all missed the violation. But the game was one of the SEC’s contests with an experimental eight-person officiating crew … meaning eight officials missed the call.

SEC spokesman Chuck Dunlap told the Associated Press Sunday morning that the violation was discovered well after the game.

Williams deflected Thompson’s pass before Jonathan Jones made the interception to end the game.

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said after the game that the Gamecocks would have attempted the two-point conversion had they gotten the touchdown.

The loss dropped South Carolina to 4-4 on the season with games still remaining against Tennessee and South Alabama at home and trips to Florida and Clemson on the schedule. The Gamecocks need two more victories to become bowl eligible.

Auburn improved to 6-1 and is one of three one-loss teams in the SEC West, all looking up at No. 1 Mississippi State.

South Carolina probably won’t feel any better knowing this, but the Gamecocks should have gotten another play at the end of Saturday’s loss at Auburn.

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