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Ahead of Saturday’s massive game against LSU, Ole Miss released a statement to the media Friday revealing it is aware some fans have criticized the program for faking injuries to gain an unfair advantage and create pauses in games and will be “compliant” moving forward.
“Feigned injuries has become a notable topic in college football, and we realize our program has been part of that discussion,” the statement read. “We have been in communication with the National Coordinator for Football Officiating and provided relevant medical information for his review to answer questions about recent injuries.
“We have also updated the SEC office, and our head coach will communicate with our coaches and players to ensure we conduct ourselves properly and are compliant in this matter.”
Ole Miss’ actions generated plenty of attention during a 20-17 loss to Kentucky on Sept. 28.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart appeared to motion toward running back Matt Jones to fall to the ground, which is exactly what he did. ABC play-by-play commentator Sean McDonough didn’t exactly hold back when calling the situation.
“Fortunately Matt Jones survived to walk off the field,” McDonough said (h/t John Macon Gillespie of Sports Illustrated). “Just a blatant fake injury.”
Then came the Rebels’ 27-3 win over South Carolina the following week.
While they had no trouble bouncing back and securing a victory, Payton Titus of The State noted they caused “double-digit stoppages Saturday due to defensive injuries that may or may not have been genuine, or a scheme for free timeouts.”
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer was asked about it during his postgame press conference and said, in part, “I got my own problems. We just got our butts kicked 27-3. … But it’s fascinating to me how many injuries occur for them after the opposing offense makes a first down or has a big play.”
He also called it “a really bad look for college football.”
This all serves as something of a backdrop for Saturday’s key game between Ole Miss and LSU. Each SEC team has a loss with difficult games remaining, so it could be something of an eliminator contest in the race for the College Football Playoff.
Any type of advantage, even one created by faking injuries, could be important, so it comes as no surprise LSU head coach Brian Kelly was also asked about it.
“I can leave that up to the SEC,” he told reporters. “The officials shouldn’t be involved in that, that’s not in their purview.”
Ole Miss’ injury situation has already generated plenty of attention, and it will likely receive even more moving forward after it released a statement.
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