Hugh Freeze Questions Officials Over Controversial Timeout and Fumble Calls in Loss to Georgia
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze voiced his frustration with officiating decisions following the Tigers’ 20-10 loss to Georgia on Saturday — particularly a controversial timeout call by Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart and a disputed fumble ruling near the goal line.
With just over 13 minutes left in the game, Smart appeared to signal for a timeout as the play clock wound down. However, officials did not charge Georgia with a timeout and instead reset the play. Smart later claimed he wasn’t calling for a timeout — only clapping — and referees accepted that explanation.
When asked about the situation postgame, Freeze said officials gave him the same reasoning but remained puzzled about the outcome.
“It should’ve been either a delay of game or a timeout, not a completely new play,” Freeze said. “I still don’t fully understand what happened.”
That sequence became a critical moment in a tight contest that ultimately ended in Auburn’s second SEC loss of the season.
But that wasn’t the only decision that drew Freeze’s ire.
Late in the second quarter, Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold appeared to break the plane of the end zone for a touchdown. The ball was knocked loose, but replays suggested he had crossed the goal line before losing possession — a sentiment echoed by the ESPN broadcast team.
Despite the visuals, officials ruled it a fumble and Georgia recovery after review. Instead of Auburn taking a 17-0 lead, the Bulldogs regained possession and kicked a field goal, trimming the deficit to 10-3 heading into halftime.
Freeze didn’t hold back when addressing that moment either.
“I thought we got in,” he said. “The rule is that the nose of the ball just needs to break the plane, and I believe it did — but the call didn’t go our way.”
Auburn failed to score again after that play.
Between the questionable timeout reset and the goal-line fumble call, Freeze and the Auburn program are likely to keep reviewing those moments — and they may even request clarification from the SEC.
The calls have sparked plenty of discussion among fans and commentators alike, and further comments from the conference office may come in the days ahead.
Next up for the Tigers: a Week 8 matchup with Missouri, where they’ll be looking to bounce back after a frustrating loss filled with officiating controversy.
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