One of the wildest officiating errors of the season occurred in the third quarter of No. 13 Alabama's 24-10 win over No. 15 Ole Miss at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The Crimson Tide were down 7-6 and driving deep in the red zone. Running back Roydell Williams picked up a first down on a five-yard run to the 11-yard line. However, the down marker and chains did not move prior to the next snap. Coach Nick Saban, quarterback Jalen Milroe and the rest of the staff treated the next play -- a one-yard quarterback sneak by Milroe -- as a third-and-inches rather than a first-and-10.
Two plays later, Alabama was forced to send out kicker Will Reichard, who booted a 23-yard field goal to give his team a 10-7 lead. Though we may never know what would have transpired had the officials gotten the call right, Alabama almost certainly would have changed its play call from a quarterback sneak if it knew it had a first-and-10.
On the broadcast, viewers could clearly see confusion among members on the chain gang when this wild series of events began. It may not have cost Alabama the game, but it was a mistake all the same.
It will be interesting to see how the SEC office handles this after the game.
