Sadnews: Five worst officiating moments in Arkansas football’s history

The officiating is one of the most significant, if underappreciated, aspects of any football game. Despite taunts at every turn from opposing fan bases, they maintain a fair and peaceful competition. However, on sometimes, their calls are really offensive.

Even worse are instances where specific officials consistently make blatant mistakes when making calls, and seemingly nothing is done about it. Hog fans will remember Marc Curles in college football, but on a national scale, they may recall Angel Hernandez of the MLB. The main idea is that you’re probably a lot incorrect if the typical fan recognizes you as a referee.

Particularly in the past few years, Arkansas football has experienced a lot of those calls. So much so that Josh Pate and other national media celebrities are aware of it. Fans have even been known to make jokes about how the officiating staff is Arkansas’s greatest foe.

Five of Arkansas football’s worst officiating incidents in history
No. 5 2014 Texas A&M, false start missed
The 2014 Arkansas team was far superior to what their record indicated. They faced the following teams: No. 6 Texas A&M; No. 6 Auburn; No. 7 Alabama; No. 10 Georgia; No. 1 Mississippi State; No. 17 LSU; No. 8 Ole Miss; No. 17 Mizzou; and, of course, the game in question. For those following at home, Arkansas faced a ranked opponent in each of its conference games in 2014.

In addition to defeating Ole Miss and LSU handily, the Razorbacks also suffered narrow losses to Alabama, MSU, and Mizzou. However, the matchup with Texas A&M was one that had one chance to go either way.

The Hogs lost a two-touchdown lead in the fourth to force OT, which is why this game isn’t higher on the list. After this play, they also had an opportunity to prolong the game. But even the announcers were surprised that it wasn’t called—the missed false start on the Aggies’ opening play that resulted in the game’s winning score seemed so obvious.