We all could have guessed the SEC Championship Game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide would be hotly contested.
And, unfortunately, we all could have guessed SEC refs would make head-scratching calls that impacted the outcome of the game.
After Georgia lost 27-24 to Alabama, these calls call the result into question...
3. Missed holds
To be honest, the refs had a rough day across the board. There were indeed questionable calls going both ways. But when it comes down to it, Alabama got much more of the benefit, especially because they managed to get away with more holds than you could count.
It's a whole lot easier to turn a corner and get upfield when edge defenders are getting held and the refs are letting it go. It's definitely more effective for a quarterback to take off and run if defenders are getting dragged back.
They say there is holding on every play. And that may be true. But some holding is more blatant than others and still the refs seemed utterly reluctant to penalize it even once.
2. The horse-collar tackle penalty
The second-worst call of the SEC Championship Game was a horse-collar tackle penalty on Xavian Sorey.
The horse-collar tackle is outlawed because it's a matter of player safety. Players can't grab inside an opposing player's shoulder pads or collar and pull them back to the ground. But that wasn't what Sorey did when he took down Kendrick Law at the line of scrimmage. He grabbed the top of Law's shoulder pads and effectively pulled him over to the side.
The penalty gave Alabama a free 15 yards, taking them across midfield to the Georgia 39.
Even though the Crimson Tide sputtered after that, the penalty still played a role in the outcome of the game.
Alabama punted from Georgia territory and pinned the Bulldogs at the six-yard line. If they had punted from further back, UGA wouldn't have been operating from the shadow of their own endzone. The drive might have looked totally different. Instead, a botched exchange handed the ball back to Alabama near the goal line, giving them a chip shot field goal.
In a game decided by a field goal, all the inches matter. There are 540 inches in a 15-yard penalty.
1. Isaiah Bond's 4th down "catch"
When it comes down to it, there's one call that will be mentioned for years to come when discussing the 2023 SEC Championship Game: Isaiah Bond's fourth down conversion.
The Alabama wide receiver "caught" the ball to extend his team's drive with just over a minute to play. The Crimson Tide went on to score a touchdown two plays later, leading 17-7 going into halftime.
The problem is the refs never took a closer look at the catch, which probably wasn't one.
The ball clearly hit the ground and shifted out of Bond's grasp. It wasn't a catch. It should have been reviewed and overturned, resulting in Georgia getting the ball back with over a minute to play while trailing 10-7.
The Bulldogs would have had the chance to tie the game with a field goal or take a lead with a touchdown on the drive. Even if they did nothing with the possession, Alabama would have only led by a field goal. They won the game by three. Take away those points and it's an entirely different game.
It was the biggest call in the biggest game of the season and the refs blew it.
