Pair of Georgia Bulldogs Plays Ranked Among the Worst Officiated Calls of 2025 Season

The first play to make the list was Kirby Smart's timeout fiasco, which ranked as the third-worst officiated play of the season. In the fourth quarter of Georgia's matchup against Auburn, Smart began signaling to an official that members of the Auburn defense were clapping.

Smart's gesture of a clap was mistaken for a timeout signal, and play on the field was stopped. Immediately after, Smart began pleading with the ref that he was not calling for a timeout, but was signaling that the Tigers were clapping.

The Bulldogs were eventually not charged with a timeout, despite play stopping on the field. This enraged Auburn fans who took their grievances to social media, and Smart was heavily criticized for "cheating" during the contest.

The other instance, which ranked No. 1 on the list, came earlier in Georgia and Auburn's contest when Auburn's goal-line attempt to score was eventually ruled as a fumble, despite Auburn fans and a litany of other spectators believing quarterback Jackson Arnold crossed the goal line.

The call resulted in a massive momentum swing that eventually led to the demise of the Tigers' 10-0 lead. Following the game, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze was extremely critical of the call and pleaded his case for a touchdown once again.

The play also came under scrutiny from Georgia fans, however, as Bulldogs safety Kyron Jones was never ruled down when he recovered the fumble. Despite Jones returning the ball to the endzone, the Bulldogs were not awarded a touchdown.

While criticism from fans is expected in any matchup, there appears to be some validity to the public's gripes. Shortly after the contest, reports began to emerge that the head official of the contest, Ken Williamson, had been suspended permanently from officiating other SEC games.

Williamson's suspension is certainly an indictment of the quality of officiating that took place during the Georgia-Auburn game. However, it is virtually impossible to quantify how much of an effect it had on the outcome, as both teams were affected by questionable calls.