Call Mounts Against NCAA Referee as Missed Call Could Threaten Player Safety in Baylor vs Auburn

Refs blew up, and everyone noticed. Under the Friday night lights, Auburn and Baylor battled in a season-opening game filled with storylines: Auburn aiming for its ninth straight Week 1 victory, Dave Aranda’s Bears holding a strong 5-1 record in openers. And with that grit, the game promised intensity, excitement, and memorable plays—but a glaring missed call took center stage. A missed penalty left fans furious, shaking their heads, and the conversation quickly turned from the game’s highlights to the officiating. How could such an obvious error happen?

The crowd at McLane Stadium went wild on Saturday when the officials missed what appeared to be a blatant facemask penalty during the Auburn-Baylor game. With 3:05 remaining in the third quarter, Baylor receiver Ashtyn Hawkins caught a 13-yard pass and almost escaped, but Auburn linebacker Demarcus Riddick grabbed his facemask, pulling him down. Despite the Baylor fans’ vocal protests, no flag was thrown, leaving them in disbelief. And that’s when Barstool Sports’ Brandon Walker hopped in with his fiery remarks against the referee for ignoring such a blunder. As he hit X with a plea and said, “We gotta do something about the officiating in college football. How is it even possible to miss this call? What would cause a person to not call this a face mask?”

Even FOX quickly brought in rules analyst Mike Pereira to analyze the play, “[Riddick] had a hand around it. He didn’t actually pull it, but he got underneath, and then he did grab it and pull it. And, yes, that’s one that should’ve been called. Obviously, replay can’t do anything about this, so it’s just a miss that the officials have to live with.” The play, widely circulated on social media, became one of the most talked-about officiating weekend’s most glaring errors.

We gotta do something about the officiating in college football. How is it even possible to miss this call? What would cause a person to not call this a face mask?

pic.twitter.com/t9283h8AnU

— Brandon Walker (@BFW) August 30, 2025

(This is a developing story…)

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