SEC delivers ruling on blocked punt in LSU-South Carolina game

LSU ultimately overcame a 17-0 deficit to beat South Carolina on Saturday, tying the second-largest road comeback in program history.

A major reason the Tigers fell into that hole was a first-half blocked punt in a 10-0 game that set the Gamecocks up at the 10-yard line. South Carolina needed one play to score a touchdown and go up three scores.

While it didn’t ultimately make the difference in the game, coach Brian Kelly voiced his frustration after the game. He stated the coaching staff believed it was an illegal block , and that the Tigers planned to take the issue up with the SEC league office.

“The blocked punt, I’m going to have to take that up with our SEC office,” Kelly said. “We believe it was an illegal block, and we voiced our concern with it. We will address it with the SEC officiating crew. … We believe we have an argument there, and we’ll bring it up to them.”

The SEC rendered its judgment on the play Wednesday, and it wasn’t the result LSU was hoping for. The conference determined the block was a legal play because the blocker leaped outside of the area between the shield player’s shoulder pads.

“We agreed to disagree that took place outside the framework of the body,” Kelly said on the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday, per Wilson Alexander of The Advocate. “We accept the verdict, and we move on.”

LSU will look to clean up its punt block operation to avoid further issues as it prepares to host UCLA in an SEC vs. Big Ten showdown in Week 4.

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