SEC says Oklahoma's trick-play TD shouldn't have counted

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

SEC says No. 7 Oklahoma's trick-play TD shouldn't have counted

By Steve Drumwright | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 8:01 AM ET

The Southeastern Conference said late Saturday that the touchdown on a trick play by No. 7 Oklahoma should have been wiped away, with the Sooners being penalized. Oklahoma beat Auburn, 24-17, in Norman, Oklahoma, in a battle of 3-0 teams.

Oklahoma Sooners' trick play shouldn't have counted due to this NCAA rule

The game was tied 3-3 early in the second quarter when Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna III. But the play should have been penalized as Sategna had faked like he was going to the bench, only to stop short of the sideline.

Unnoticed by Auburn, Sategna streaked down the sideline and easily caught the pass from Mateer near the goal line and stepped into the end zone. The TD and ensuing extra point put the Sooners up 10-3 with 10 minutes, 50 seconds left in the second quarter.

A little trickery from the Sooners

Isaiah Sategna pretended to head to the sideline before bursting free for the touchdown.

Watch Auburn-Oklahoma on ABC and the ESPN App pic.twitter.com/tqvstbi5Ym
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 20, 2025

In its statement several hours after the game, the SEC cited an NCAA rule regarding "unfair tactics" as to why the play should have been taken off the board, and the Sooners assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Part of the rule, Rule 9-2 Article 2, reads: "No simulated replacements or substitutions may be used to confuse opponents. No tactic associated with substitutes or the substitution process may be used to confuse opponents. This includes any hideout tactic with or without a substitution."

Statement on @AuburnFootball/@OU_Football game: pic.twitter.com/PCn8AwLkeb
— SEC Officiating (@SECOfficiating) September 21, 2025

The SEC said it would deal with the officiating crew and issue any further discipline "without additional comment." Oklahoma took a 22-17 lead with 5:01 left in the game on Mateer's nine-yard TD run and failed two-point conversion, then added a safety with 1:10 remaining.

Steve Drumwright

Steve Drumwright is a lifelong sports fan who grew up in Wisconsin and now lives in Southern California. After quickly finding out that he didn't have the skills to make any of his high school teams, he took the path of chronicling others in their athletic journeys. Steve has covered everything from small-town youth sports to Olympians and the World Series, starting out as a part-time sportswriter to becoming a sports editor in a major city

More must-reads: