Head SEC official says reversal in Alabama-Mississippi game correct

JACKSON, Miss. -- The Southeastern Conference's coordinator of officials said Monday there was nothing wrong with the reversal of a call Saturday that guaranteed Alabama's 27-24 win over Mississippi.

The reversal led to a storm of hurled garbage, the arrest of three people and more hard feelings between the Rebels and the Crimson Tide.

"When I watched the tape this morning, I saw nothing that would give me guidance to dispute or disagree with the ruling of the replay official," said Rogers Redding, the SEC's coordinator of officials.

Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron and athletic director Pete Boone strongly disagreed in their first comments since the game in Oxford.

"The game should not end on a judgmental call from the box," Orgeron said. "Not after a game like that."

The rivals swapped leads throughout the game and it appeared Alabama would win with a late rally. But on fourth down, Ole Miss quarterback Seth Adams found receiver Shay Hodge for what appeared to be a 41-yard reception at the Alabama 4 with 7 seconds left.

The Rebels lined up to take a shot into the end zone for the win. But Alabama coach Nick Saban called a timeout and appealed to the officials to ask for a review.

"I just happened to be at a vantage point on that particular play where I saw the guy run out of bounds and it was right behind the officials who it should have been what he was looking at, but he probably was looking at the catch instead of that," said Saban, the son of an official. "It's tough to see everything."

It turned out Saban was right. Hodge did run out of bounds, but the call wasn't that simple. If he had been forced out by an Alabama defender, Hodge had every right to run back in and make the catch.

If he hadn't been forced out, he could only become eligible again if a Crimson Tide player touched the ball first.

On the television replay, and to the more than 50,000 fans, it looked as if Hodge snatched away the ball after an Alabama defensive back grabbed it.

As Alabama ran the final seconds off the clock to win the game, fans began throwing garbage onto the field -- everything from whiskey and vodka bottles to a set of red high heels.

Saban urged his players to keep their helmets on and get into the tunnel as quickly as possible. He said he wanted to make sure his players weren't "mugging."