SEC officiating crew in Cheezit Bowl called out by Yahoo Sports

After several questionable calls throughout the Cheezit Bowl, the SEC officiating crew was called out by Yahoo Sports.

The officiating in the Cheezit Bowl where the Miami football team lost 37-34 to Oklahoma State was called out by Yahoo Sports. The Yahoo Sports account tweeted out “These refs are ruining the legacy of the Cheezit Bowl” Several blown calls throughout the game were made by officials.

Miami appeared to rally from a 21-0 deficit after one quarter with a chance to tie the game in the third quarter. A Brevin Jordan two-point conversion was ruled as successful on the field. When the play went to replay, it was overturned and the Hurricanes remained down 21-19. Several other calls were questionable.

Hurricanes sophomore cornerback Te’Cory Couch was called for pass interference on a play after Bradley Jennings appeared to have an interception. The penalties were often ill-timed and questionable. The penalty and yards were fairly even with Oklahoma State flagged nine times for 81 yards and Miami eight for 76.

The fact it was called out by Yahoo speaks a lot. When a major national media outlet who is an impartial observer calls out the referering in a game that’s a strong indicator of how bad it truly was. Miami did not win or lose the game because of poor officiating but too many of the calls throughout the game were suspicious.

The SEC officiating crew was led by referee Steve Marlow. Side judge Rob Skelton worked in an unspecified New Year’s Six Bowl game in 2019. At the very least Miami knows they will not have an SEC officiating crew in its 2021 season opener against Alabama at Mercedes Benz Stadium next September.

The pass interference call on Couch was one of three had had on the night. Too many mistakes by Miami ultimately contributed to the loss. In addition to the eight penalties, Miami lost a muffed punt by wide receiver Mike Harley and the Hurricanes had close to a half dozen drops.