Georgia pretty clearly had Tennessee down in the end zone for a safety but the Dawgs got completely hosed by an awful call and review from the refs.
After Stetson Bennett IV gave the Georgia Bulldogs an early 7-3 lead over the No. 1-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, a beautiful punt pinned Hendon Hooker and Co. at the 1-yard line and the offense couldn’t get anything going.
That’s when disaster seemingly struck for the Vols. Hooker dropped back to pass in his own end zone and was under immediate pressure from the swarming Dawgs defense. He got the ball stripped before he could begin his throw and it was recovered by an offensive lineman who tried to make it out of the end zone to avoid the safety.
The officials initially ruled that the ball made its way out of the end zone after the lineman fumbled and it was recovered on the half-yard line. But as we saw the video, he looked to be down in the end zone, which should’ve been ruled a safety.
But as the refs went to review it, they somehow ruled that the call on the field stood, meaning Tennessee had the chance to punt.
Georgia football screwed by blown safety call, Stetson Bennett IV makes up for it
I’m not quite sure what the refs were looking at on that review. The lineman is pretty clearly down in the end zone with the ball not crossing the goal line.
The CBS broadcast was even discussing the review and said that the two likeliest outcomes were that they rule it as a safety or even that they ruled that Hooker’s arm was moving forward and it was an incomplete pass. But instead, they came out with a call of neither, which is just downright awful.
Luckily for the Dawgs, the ball don’t lie and he hit Ladd McConkey for a 37-yard touchdown on the first play after the punt.
Even with that, though, it doesn’t change the fact that the refs completely botched the safety call that would’ve made the start by the reigning national champs even more dominant.
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