Penn State football loses a down, punts on 3rd down due to officials' confusion vs. Auburn
It’s been a bit of a weird day for SEC officials in Week 3.
On the same day the clock in the Florida vs. Alabama football game began malfunctioning in the final minutes of the game, SEC officials took a down away from the Penn State offense.
With Auburn leading 10-7 in the second quarter, Penn State sent the punt team out on the field at the end of an offensive possession with the officials ruling it was fourth down.
The only problem was it was actually third down.
Penn State was flagged for intentional grounding on what appeared to actually be a miscommunication on the play, but the officials still found a way to take a down away from Penn State in the process.
If the SEC officials simply lost count, they could have easily taken a look at Twitter for verification.
Auburn, ranked No. 20 in the USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, comes into the matchup 2-0 overall. Most recently, Auburn beat Alabama State 62-0 on Sept. 11.
No. 12-ranked Penn State enters the game 2-0 overall. On Sept. 11, PSU beat Ball State 44-13.
Entering Saturday, the all-time series is tied 1-1 between Auburn and PSU.
Here's more Auburn football news:
- Lee Corso:Who did Lee Corso pick to win today? Here's his Penn State, Auburn football headgear pick
- Top plays:No. 20 Auburn vs. No. 12 Penn State football video highlights, score
- Officials:Who are the Auburn vs. Penn State football officials, referee, umpire, judges
Bryan Harsin is the Auburn Tigers football head coach. James Franklin is the Penn State football head coach.