5 Worst officiating moments in Arkansas football history

Auburn/LSU 2020, no clear recovery

In 2018-19, Arkansas won just four games. The program was down in the dumps, but in came Sam Pittman in 2020 to take over a team no one wanted. He won three games during a 10-game, all-SEC schedule thanks to COVID-19, but most fans would argue it was four.

Arkansas already played No. 4 Georgia and beat No.16 Mississippi State by the time it got to the Auburn game. The teams were more evenly matched than most imagined. Arkansas led by a point with 28 seconds left to go. The Tigers were in field goal range to win the game but were out of timeouts. Bo Nix went to spike the ball but fumbled the snap. When he gained control of the ball, his body was facing the sideline, and he spiked the ball behind him.

The whistle was blown inadvertently despite it being a fumble, but the rule is if there is clear recovery of the ball, it's a turnover. Somehow, the replay official didn't see Joe Foucha recover it. Instead, it was called intentional grounding — which doesn't even make sense because Nix threw the ball backward — leading to a 10-second runoff on the clock. The penalty actually helped Auburn win the game.

But we're not going to end it here. Oh, no. There's another piece to the puzzle that gives credence to the saying "Arkansas vs. the world." Social media blew up over the play, with everyone not donning a big "AU" on their chest, saying Arkansas should've won the game.

So, what was the replay booth thinking when they made the same exact "no clear recovery" call against Arkansas five games later against LSU? This time, the rules were less ambiguous, and the evidence was as clear as crystal.

John Emery for LSU was trying to gain a few extra yards after contact but was evidently stripped of the ball. In the pile, you can also see Foucha (quite the coincidence, eh?) reach in with his hands and pull the ball out.

And who was the head official? None other than Arkansas's archnemesis Marc Curles, but more on him in the next slide.

Most people don't remember this because it didn't directly lead to the loss. Seven plays later, the Tigers fumbled again, and Arkansas did recover the ball. It's still one of the worst calls you'll ever see.