BATON ROUGE, La. -
LSU athletic director Skip Bertman sharply criticized the officiating in last Saturday's game at
Auburn as well as the Southeastern Conference's subsequent backing of the officials' decisions on two key calls.
"The
SEC Office has stood by the officials' calls, and we respectfully but strongly disagree," Bertman said in a statement released by
LSU on Tuesday. "We strive for excellence every day in
LSU athletics, and we expect the same level of excellence from the officials that are assigned to us by the
SEC."
Late in the game,
Auburn defensive back Zach Gilbert was flagged for interfering with receiver Early Doucet deep in its own territory in
Auburn's 7-3 win over then-No. 6
LSU. The flag was waved off because officials deemed that Eric Brock's tip of the ball made it uncatchable.
Another controversial fourth-quarter call went
Auburn's way when
LSU's interception on third-and-29 was negated because Daniel Francis was penalized for interference on receiver Courtney Taylor, giving
Auburn an automatic first down.
That pass was ruled a catchable ball, and
SEC media relations director Charles Bloom said that call also was correct.
LSU coach Les Miles complained after the game about both calls.
"There were obviously a number of calls by
SEC officials in our game against
Auburn that had a dramatic impact on the game," Bertman said. "
Coach Miles went through the proper procedure of addressing these calls with the
SEC Office and I appreciate the manner in which he has expressed his dissatisfaction with the officials' decisions."
Auburn defender Erick Brock, left, and Zach Gilbert break up a pass to
LSU's Early Doucet in the fourth quarter of
Auburn's 7-3 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Interference was called on the play then overruled because the ball had been tipped.
