SEC confirms Tennessee's onside kick against Texas was 'incorrectly officiated,' should have been penalty

The SEC may have dodged a huge controversy after Tennessee failed to score after an illegal onside kick Sep 28, 2026 at 12:41 pm ET • 2 min read A significant upset appeared to be a possibility Saturday when No. 14 Tennessee managed to recover an onside kick with 1:22 to play while trailing 20-17 against No. 1 Texas. The Volunteers failed to get the ball into field goal range to have a chance to tie the Longhorns and had a Hail Mary fall incomplete, which almost assuredly offered a deep sigh of relief at the SEC offices in Birmingham. That's because Tennessee's onside kick should've been flagged for a 5-yard penalty for being an illegal onside attempt, and had the Vols gone on to upset the Longhorns, this week would've been dominated by an officiating controversy. The SEC confirmed on Monday that the Volunteers should've been flagged because, while a drop kick is legal, the ball has to bounce at the 35-yard line and the kicker cannot move laterally from his initial position after the ready signal is given. Tennessee's kicker moved to the left hash before the kick and clearly drops the ball on the 34, violating both rules. The onside kick with 1:22 to play in the Texas at Tennessee football game on Saturday was incorrectly officiated and should have resulted in a five-yard penalty on Tennessee and a replay of the down. A drop kick is permissible, but a free kick must be made from the kicking team's restraining line which is the 35-yard line on a kickoff, unless relocated by penalty. The ball was at least one yard behind the 35-yard line when it was kicked. In addition, after the ball is ready for playe the kicker may not change his lateral position between the hash marks. That spot can change only after a charged timeout or on a subsequent kick. The kicker's movement after the ready signal violated the rule. The correct enforcement is a five-yard penalty and a replay of the down. The Southeastern Conference regrets the error and will continue working with the Secretary/Editor for NCAA Football Rules and officials to ensure consistent application of free-kick rules. Had Tennessee gone on to win the game after recovering an illegal onside kick, Texas would've been furious (and rightfully so) and the SEC would've had a controversy akin to what the Big Ten dealt with earlier this year after the Western Michigan-Michigan debacle. Week 4 overreactions: No. 1 Texas is a paper tiger -- and we need player fines in college football John Talty Instead, this becomes a teachable moment for officials about a scenario that rarely shows up in games, rather than a full blown controversy that would've brought a righteous fury from the folks from Austin. An onside kick is rare enough, but even fewer teams will break out a drop kick onside attempt. As such, it's not a huge surprise that the officials weren't ready to enforce the rules to the letter of the law. The fake one way, go the other is a common practice on onside kicks, but that movement from the kicker is only allowed when the ball is stationary on a tee -- not when it's in his hands. As for the drop behind the line, officials are typically focused on players going offsides across the 35 before the kick, not something happening behind it. While it's a somewhat understandable miss, it's also the kind of thing that cannot happen in that situation and the SEC is undoubtedly glad it didn't end up changing the outcome of the game.