SEC says Oklahoma's first TD vs. Auburn shouldn't have counted

Like all those national championships during this past summer, the Auburn Tigers are defintely going to try to claim a win over the Oklahoma Sooners after this one.

Late Saturday night, the SEC released a statement basically saying that the Sooners' first touchdown in their 24-17 win against Auburn in Norman should not have counted because the controversial play was against an NCAA rule.

SEC releases statement about Sooners' controversial TD

In the play, OU wide receiver Isaiah Sategna casually walked toward the sideline and was left uncovered. He then sprinted up the sideline after the ball was snapped and was wide open for a 24-yard TD pass from quarterback John Mateer. The score was OU's first touchdown of the game and put the Sooners ahead 10-3 in the second quarter.

After the commercial break and discovering how Sategna got so wide open, ESPN's rules analyst Matt Austin explained a rule that made the play illegal because a player cannot pretend to leave the field for a substitution. The SEC's statement all but confirmed what Austin said during the broadcast as college football fans instantly accused the Sooners of cheating.

"No simulated replacements or substitutions may be used to confuse opponents," the SEC's statement said. "No tactic associated with substitutes or the substitution process may be used to confuse opponents. This includes any hideout tactic with or without a substitution.

"The officiating crew did not properly interpret the action as a hideout tactic," the statement continued. "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."

OU head coach Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle were both asked about the play after the game and both assured it was completely legal, so they either lied or did not fully understand the rule. Regardless, the Sooners got away with it, other than whatever "Appropriate accountability" includes.

"We didn't substitute," Venables said postgame. "We were on the field. We asked the official if we're lined up, we're on the ball, everything's good and legal. We weren't in a big hurry or anything like that."

Said Arbuckle: "We ran the ball the play before. (Sategna) just quick motioned over there. It was a tempo call. He got lined up. He pointed to the official. He was never out of bounds or anything like that. They just didn't cover him. It was good awareness by (quarterback) John (Mateer) to see him with nobody on him. He just ran and it was a great job by him."

Arbuckle was then asked about the play "toeing the line" with the substitution rule.

"I don't know how much toeing the line there was," Arbuckle said. "It was a tempo play and he pointed to the ref, and the ref nodded his head and said he was in right there, so I don't know how much deception went on there. It was just a ball play that we executed on."

The SEC released its statement after OU's postgame press conference and there hasn't been a response yet from the Sooners as of writing.

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