Did Auburn's Mario Fannin fumble the ball before crossing the goal line? The officials didn't think so.
For the Arkansas faithful still irritated by the poor officiating in Saturday’s shootout loss to Auburn, one fan base may have a solution. A Fayetteville, Arkansas, based ophthalmic practice is offering free Lasik eye surgery to all the zebras who officiated the game. The reason being, Drs. Jay McDonald and Dusty McIver do not want to see their beloved Razorbacks get the short end of the stick when it comes to officiating.
In the Razorbacks’ 65-43 slug-fest, there were two controversial calls that went against Arkansas that directly resulted in Auburn touchdowns causing scrutiny amongst fans. The first controversial call was when Auburn RB Mario Fannin fumbled the ball during the second quarter before crossing the goal line. Arkansas recovered the fumble (which the official initially signaled as a fumble), but overturned the ruling saying the RB crossed the line before the fumble.
The second controversial call occurred during the fourth quarter when Arkansas’ Broderick Green fumbled the ball and Auburn’s Zac Etheridge returned it for 47 yards to the end zone. On the video replay, it appeared Green was down by contact before the ball popped loose, but the officials in the replay booth did not see it that way and upheld the TD.
Both outcomes of the play were game changers and caused Arkansas to petition the SEC about the calls and prompted the McDonald Eye Associates to lend a hand to help correct what the officials see.
In the end, officiating is part of the game, sometimes you get the calls, sometimes you don’t. Free Lasik surgery is not necessarily the solution, but the offer certainly displays the pageantry of college football that does not exist in the NFL.
The official press release appears on the McDonald Eye Associates’ Facebook page:
Any on-field or booth official who officiated last weekend’s college football game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and Auburn Tigers can receive a free laser vision correction procedure from McDonald Eye Associates, the practice announced.
The officiating of the game, which Auburn won 65-43, has come under much scrutiny among Arkansas fans because of two controversial calls that went against the Razorbacks. Both plays directly led to Auburn touchdowns.
Errors and incorrect calls from the game could have possibly been avoided with better vision, the practice added. McDonald Eye Associates believes that a laser vision correction procedure will result in fewer mistakes in the future.
McDonald Eye Associates is nationally recognized as a leader in the field of vision correction. For more than 35 years, the practice has provided the finest eye care in Northwest Arkansas, leading the way in technology and advanced procedures.
In addition to laser vision correction and cataract surgery, McDonald Eye Associates offers a full-service optical department, annual eye examinations and medical and surgical eye care.
