SEC says No. 17 Tennessee's onside kick against top-ranked Texas should have been a penalty

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — No. 17 Tennessee's successful onside kick against top-ranked Texas was incorrectly officiated, according to the Southeastern Conference.

The kick with 1:22 left on Saturday should have been flagged for a five-yard penalty and the down replayed because the ball was not kicked from the 35-yard line, the conference said in a statement on Monday. The ball also should not have been moved once was it was deemed ready for play by the officials.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Monday that kick had been used previously in the SEC.

“We had earlier communication with the league as well,” Heupel said. "We’ll adjust to the ruling we got today.”

The onside kick came after Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon threw a 30-yard TD pass to Mike Matthews to pull the Vols within three at 20-17. Tennessee punter Jackson Ross pulled off the onside kick by faking right and drop-kicking it to the left.

Tennessee recovered the onside kick, but wasn't able to score, sending the Longhorns to a 20-17 win. The officials initially called a penalty on the kick, but waved it off after consulting with each other.

Ross' dropkick came a yard behind the kicking team's restraining line, the 35-yard line. He also moved the ball laterally after it was put in play. Both should have been flagged as penalties.