"Refs in this Tenn vs UK game are brutally bad": CFB world unhappy with poor officiating at SEC blockbuster of Week 10

Fans reacted as Tennessee's 28-18 victory over Kentucky on Saturday was marred by poor officiating by the SEC refereeing crew. The Volunteers came out on top, with Nico Iamaleava throwing for 292 yards and a touchdown pass.

However, the highlight of the game wasn't a play by the Volunteers but the referees' lack of officiating on a sideline hit to Kentucky's quarterback Brock Vandagriff.

Early in the game, Vandagriff ran out of bounds and was met by the extended hands of Tennessee's defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott.

The situation seems to have been completely ignored by the SEC officiating crew, which didn't call out Norman-Lott for unsportsmanlike conduct. One of those to voice his concern at the poor officiating was 247Sports Dane Draper who tweeted:

"Refs in this Tenn vs UK game are brutally bad"

Other fans also took to X to express their disagreement over the poor show by SEC officials:

"A hand to the head of a QB on the field in normal play is a penalty. This one was out of bounds AND right in front of a ref. Shameful, crooked refs. I would say this if it were UK doing this too."

Darth Vader himself accused the officials of being partial to Tennessee:

"The officials clearly have teams they want to win, and UK is not one of them. These things happen every week."

Fan reactions

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ESPN broadcast crew called out SEC referees for poor officiating

Even ESPN's announcing crew pitched in the incident, with Tom Hart saying while watching the plays replay:

“He got popped as he came to the sideline by Norman-Lott, who put his hands out,” Hart said.

“Omarr Norman-Lott is a defensive lineman and acted like one on that two-yard run. He said ‘Do you want to come over here? Meet my hand.’… That is a big miss by this officiating crew.”

Color commentator Jordan Rodgers agreed with his partner:

“I’m a little surprised a flag wasn’t thrown here,” Rodgers said. “You got to flag that. It wasn’t ‘You ran into my extended hands.’ He was extending the hands.”

The play didn't certainly determine the game, but it certainly was a bad look on the premier athletic conference in the nation. Brock Vandagriff threw for 123 yards, with one touchdown and an interception during the loss.