Review The Tape: ALA vs SC

Can we go one day without some sort of SEC controversy?

I guess not.

Apparently after reviewing the game tape on Monday, Steve Spurrier found something that may be in interest of SEC officials:

"I thought you just had to put it on the ground. But they had a little piece of white tape or something, and I looked at it on tape and I said, 'What's that little piece of white there?'. Then after the guy kicked it he grabbed it and put it back in his pocket," Spurrier said.

ESPN.com broke this story earlier today and also reported that the game tape has been sent in for investigation. If it turns out to be the case, then Alabama did in fact cheat. Here are the rules on using a 'marker' to elevate or help set the ball:

Rule 6-3; Article 10; subsection d -

"Any device or material used to mark the spot of a scrimmage place kick or elevate the ball makes the kick illegal. The kick is an "illegal kick" penalty and is set five yards from the spot of the foul."

At the 3:00 minute mark of the following video, Alabama lines up for their last extra point. Watch the kicker as he picks something up off the field after the kick. There is definitely something going on here:

Obviously, this isn't that big of an infraction. It won't deem the game played last Saturday a win for the GameCocks or even add an asterisks next to it.

However this is just more and more evidence that SEC officials are playing parts in games of high magnitude.

You had the LSU-Georgia game end in controversy. Florida-Arkansas ended in controversy. Now we have Alabama-South Carolina.

The only question left... Who's next?


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4580985