A controversial ruling by referee Jason Autrey was the difference in No. 13 Auburn escaping with a 30-28 victory over Arkansas on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
A statement released by the SEC office late Saturday said there was “conclusive video evidence” Auburn quarterback Bo Nix threw a third-down pass backward in the final minute, but Arkansas was not awarded the ball because there was not an “immediate” recovery.
“Both the determination of a backward pass and the immediate clear recovery are required to reverse the ruling on the field under Rule 12-3-2-e-1,” the statement said.
The NCAA rulebook states: “If the ball is ruled dead and the replay official does not have indisputable video evidence as to which team recovers or does not have confirmation of the recovery by the officials on the field, the dead-ball ruling stands.