Beating the Alabama Crimson Tide is hard. Itās even harder when the officials take back a touchdown on a bad call. Just ask the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
We get it. The Alabama Crimson Tide are an elite football team and the Mississippi State Bulldogs are only a good one. However, America outside of Tuscaloosa was hoping for a close one between SEC West rivals. No, it doesnāt help when the officials take matters into their own hands.
Late in the second quarter, Mississippi State was in a hole down 21-0. But the Bulldogs were driving and about to make it 21-7 Crimson Tide heading into halftime. That would have been Alabamaās narrowest lead heading into a second half all season.
Just when Mississippi State quarterback thought he completed a wide-open touchdown pass to make it 21-6, the officials decided to pull the points off the board. This is because they handed the fifth-year senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald a delay of game penalty for not snapping the ball in time.
It was a questionable call, to say the least, as it wasnāt blatantly after the play clock expired. After the penalty, Alabama would bull rush Fitzgerald for an obvious sack. One could argue that there could have been a neutral zone infraction or even an offsides penalty on the Alabama blitz.
To make matters even worse, Mississippi State would further fall apart post-sack. The Bulldogs missed their 40-yard field goal as time expired to end the half on the following play.
Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead was not happy about how things ended in the first half for his team. Could you really blame him? The Bulldogs would have to have played perfect football to beat Alabama on the road. The referees certainly didnāt help Mississippi State at all at the end of the first half.
Alabama led Mississippi State 21-0 at halftime and looks to be in complete control of this game. Twitter thinks that the officials robbed Mississippi State of a certain touchdown, among other things.
Hereās what the social media platform had to say about that questionable call and the Bulldogsā rapid decay after getting points pulled off the board from them.
Terrible finish to the half by @HailState with the help of a bad, bad call by the officials.
ā Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) November 10, 2018
One way to stop Alabama conspiracy theories would be for officials to not make bad calls in Alabamaās favor
ā Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 10, 2018
That block in the back call against Mississippi State on its TD was one of the worst calls that I have ever seen. The Bulldogs then miss the FG at the end of the half.
ā Barrett Sallee šŗšø (@BarrettSallee) November 10, 2018
That is inexcusable, refs.
Another call for the @JamesCarville Files in Tuscaloosa. Deprived Miss State a touchdown.
ā Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) November 10, 2018
Miss St got Carville'd.
ā Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) November 10, 2018
That is a rough call for Mississippi State and then they nearly get the next play picked off.
ā Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 10, 2018
Thatās a horrible call on Mississippi State.
ā Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) November 10, 2018
It's hard enough to beat Alabama, but if you have to beat Alabama and the refs, it's gonna be a tough go
ā Patrick Schmidt (@PatrickASchmidt) November 10, 2018
Be better, officials. Goodness. pic.twitter.com/1w57b2kd0n
ā Connor O'Gara (@cjogara) November 10, 2018
That was just all sorts of bad to end the half for Mississippi State.
ā John Buhler (@buhler118) November 10, 2018
Tough for Mississippi State to beat Nick Saban's Alabama defense and the SEC refs. Good luck with that, Hail State
ā SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) November 10, 2018
Alabama is now 10-0 ATS this season on first half lines. (Every comment in response to this is going to be about officiating).
ā Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) November 10, 2018
https://twitter.com/Wes_nship/status/1061382070050676737
Mississippi State getting jobbed there
ā Bill Burr (@billburr) November 10, 2018
Welp. That was clearly a fumble, but it's Alabama.... so it's "not"
ā Brandon Lawrence (@brandonlaw_wx) November 10, 2018
Mississippi State will do its best to try to hang with the best team in the nation on the road. However, a good bit of the college football media thinks that this gameās officials have some money on the line with Alabama to win and cover.
Of course, Mississippi State will have to score more than once, something Moorhead, Fitzgerald and company are struggling to do, to knock off the juggernaut Crimson Tide in their own southeastern football cathedral. Itās hard to beat Alabama, but itās impossible if the referees are on the side of the Crimson Tide.