Auburn Tigers quarterback Bo Nix intended to spike the ball on the play to stop the clock, but it didn't go as planned. Jake Crandall-Imagn Content Services, LLC

Auburn beats Arkansas after controversial call at end of game

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 10/10/20

Arkansas got screwed by a bad call from the referees at the end of their loss at Auburn on Saturday night.

Auburn was down 28-27 to Arkansas and had the ball for a third down in the final minute. Tigers quarterback Bo Nix intended to spike the ball on the play to stop the clock. He bobbled the snap, picked the ball off the ground, then spiked it behind him.

This wasn't ruled a fumble for some reason pic.twitter.com/usK4OjhFut

— Cover 3 Podcast (@Cover3Podcast) October 10, 2020

The initial ruling on the field was intentional grounding. The referees reviewed the play and upheld the call. They ran 10 seconds off the clock and said it was a loss of a down for Auburn.

The Tigers then kicked a 39-yard field goal on the next play to effectively win the game.

Since Nix spiked the ball backward, the ball should have been considered live and therefore a fumble, not a spike. The referees blew the call and helped give Auburn a 30-28 win.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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