College Football | SEC reprimands coaches for remarks about officials

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tennessee's Lane Kiffin and Mississippi State's Dan Mullen were reprimanded Monday by the Southeastern Conference for criticizing officials, raising the number of coaches to be scolded by the SEC for knocking game officiating to three in the last week.

For Kiffin, it was the second time this year he has been reprimanded by the conference. SEC commissioner Mike Slive said Kiffin could be suspended if he violates conference rules again.

Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson also weighed in on the officiating Monday after he had some questions about calls made in his game against South Carolina last weekend. Johnson said he would like to speak with the SEC coordinator of officials, Rogers Redding.

"I think I'd have to get in line," Johnson said.

All this came a week after one SEC crew was suspended after it called penalties the conference said were not supported by video evidence in the Louisiana State-Georgia game Oct. 3 and the Arkansas-Florida game Oct. 17.

The day after the suspension was announced by the SEC, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino was reprimanded for making critical statements about officiating in the Razorbacks' 23-20 loss at Florida.

Also Monday, an unnamed Pac-10 official was suspended by the conference for missing a facemask call in the Oregon State-USC game.

Kiffin and Mullen were set off by the officiating in their games Saturday.

On Sunday, Kiffin questioned why officials failed to penalize Alabama's Terrence Cody for unsportsmanlike conduct when the defensive lineman removed and threw his helmet after blocking a field goal on the last play of Alabama's 12-10 victory in Tuscaloosa.

Kiffin also said he decided to let the clock run down instead of trying to run another play before the kick because he was concerned about the officiating.

"You run another play and you throw an interception or they throw another flag on us — I wasn't going to let the refs lose the game for us there and some magical flag appear," Kiffin said.

Kiffin said he expected to be hearing from the SEC about his comments.

"I'm sure we'll get one of those letters that really means nothing, as Bobby got last week. But Florida and Alabama live on," he said Sunday.

Mullen criticized the replay official who worked Florida's 29-19 victory at Mississippi State for not overturning a Gators touchdown scored off an interception return by linebacker Dustin Doe — who might have fumbled — in the fourth quarter.

Notes

• The NCAA has joined the University of Michigan in an investigation into practices of college football's winningest program. University president Mary Sue Coleman announced the NCAA has given the school a notice of inquiry.

The school started looking into allegations brought against Rich Rodriguez's program in August after a report in the Detroit Free Press cited anonymous players claiming the amount of time they spent during the season and in the offseason exceeded NCAA limits.

• Slain Connecticut cornerback Jasper "Jazz" Howard was talented yet humble, played football with swagger and heart and deeply loved his family.

Hundreds of mourners heard those words at a church in Miami about the 20-year-old player who was fatally stabbed during an altercation on campus in Storrs, Conn., on Oct 18. No one has been charged in his death. UConn players arrived at the church in buses.

"He was the ultimate son, he was the ultimate brother," coach Randy Edsall said. "He was the ultimate teammate. He was the ultimate friend. They didn't come any better than Jazz."

• Freshman Adam Robinson, the top running back for No. 7 Iowa, could miss Saturday's game against Indiana because of an ankle injury.

Robinson leads the Hawkeyes in rushing with 629 yards.