The Tennessee Vols are undoubtedly a College Football Playoff-caliber team.
But they probably won’t make the playoff — unless they get some help — after losing a game in Athens on Saturday against Georgia where it felt like everyone in the stadium, including the officials and the ESPN booth, were actively working against them.
Tennessee did plenty to hurt itself on Saturday time — the defensive line wasn’t at its best and didn’t get consistent pressure on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck — but the Vols never stood a chance thanks to some bizarre one-sided officiating that ESPN spent four hours trying to justify.
The one-sided broadcast, which included several incredibly unprofessional/embarrassing moments from Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit (the sport and the student athletes deserve better than those two guys), made the night even more frustrating for fans.
At one point, for example, Fowler and Herbstreit poked fun at Tennessee players for being upset that a section of their heated benches, which were being used to stay loose on a crisp autumn night, weren’t working properly.
(That wasn’t the only time they referenced the heated benches and the Vols.)
Later in the broadcast, Fowler audibly giggled when the sideline reporter relayed Vols defensive back Andre Turrentine’s comments to his teammates that they could turn things around against the Bulldogs.
The duo spent much of the night trying to justify calls that went Georgia’s way, often ignoring blatant missed calls on the Bulldogs.
And speaking of some of those horrific calls, let’s look at a few examples.
How about this obvious defensive pass interference call, which Herbstreit said was a well-timed play by the Georgia defender.
Or what about this catch by Vols wide receiver Squirrel White getting called incomplete.
Yet this was called a catch even though the receiver didn’t actually gain control of the ball until he was out of bounds.
This very questionable facemask call on a Tennessee player came at a critical moment during the drive, robbing the Vols’ defense of a chance to get off the field.
On that same drive, Tennessee was called for a penalty (on a play that would’ve resulted in an incomplete pass) because a 12th player who was trying to get off the field still had one foot in play when the ball was snapped. Technically it’s the right call, but you don’t often see that called (nor do you usually see the play stopped to be reviewed…which was the case on that play).
Later in the game, this looked like an obvious fumble by Georgia. The officials, however, blew the play dead immediately, ruining any chance of a review.
The ESPN broadcast, as was the case all night, glossed right over the call.
The officials also missed a clear false start on quarterback Carson Beck late in the fourth quarter on a drive that helped Georgia put the game away.
Even former NFL wide receiver Roddy White, who has no connection to Tennessee, noticed the obviously awful calls.
Tennessee could’ve done more to help itself on Saturday night, but in a close game, bad calls from officials can make a big difference. When Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks at the film, he’ll realize the Bulldogs had some help against the Vols.
Ultimately, it was a bad night for college football. The on-field product is suffering because of a clear agenda (which is apparently to get Georgia in the playoff).
Why is that the agenda? I have no idea. Tennessee would draw plenty of eyes in the playoff. But for whatever reason, the Vols are getting treated like a wrestling jobber by the SEC and ESPN.
