KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch said in a letter to fans Monday that the school had asked the Southeastern Conference for "a formal review” of the officiating that took place in the Tigers' 34-20 loss to eighth-ranked Texas last weekend.
Multiple calls went against the Tigers on Saturday. But perhaps the most costly, and most roundly criticized, was a fumble in the third quarter that gave the Longhorns a first down.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning's hand appeared to be coming forward as the ball was released, but the officials called the play a fumble and referee David Smith upheld the decision after a video review.
Three plays later, Texas scored the tying touchdown, and two more touchdowns in the second half put the game away.
Veatch said Missouri officials would not make public any of their conversations with the SEC over the officiating, though he did say that “we have not received anything inconsistent with what the conference has already shared publicly.”
Veatch said the bigger goal was to ensure accountability, and that he was a proponent of ”making necessary changes to improve.”
“This experience has reinforced my belief that our lack of transparency in the replay booth, particularly when other conferences have taken steps to provide it, allows for an environment of speculation and mistrust,” Veatch said in his letter. “We will be strong advocates for that change within the SEC this offseason.”
The loss sent the Tigers (6-3, 3-3) tumbling out of the AP Top 25 on Sunday, and it likely ended their chances of making the College Football Playoff, while the victory by the Longhorns gave their own playoff chances a significant boost.
“To be clear, I don't believe in blaming or complaining about officials,” Veatch wrote. “Officials are human, and mistakes are part of the game. Coaches and players have to respond to these moments and find ways to overcome adversity.”
That was why Veatch said he was proud of the way Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz took the high road after the defeat.
“They made the plays they needed to in order to win the game, and, ultimately, we did not,” Drinkwitz said, before saying later: “If I say what I want to say, I’m going to get fined until I don’t have any retirement, and I’m not going to do that.”
In the past, the SEC has fined coaches $25,000 and publicly reprimanded them for criticizing officials.
Drinkwitz did acknowledge that Texas was “the beneficiaries of some reviews that went their way.”
“It's OK to acknowledge that Saturday hurt. In fact, our collective frustration and disappointment is evidence of how high our program expectations have elevated,” Veatch said. “Now let's turn our attention to Georgia (on Saturday) and the opportunities ahead, including two huge home games against Kentucky and Oklahoma. Our coaches and players deserve our support.”
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