Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s return to Neyland Stadium on Saturday night ended terribly as Tennessee fans threw a collective tantrum after a replay review ruled that tight end Jacob Warren was short of the line to gain on a critical fourth-and-24 with less than a minute remaining in the game.
Vols fans started throwing trash that included a golf ball, a bottle of mustard, a plethora of water bottles and beer cans.
On Sunday morning, the SEC released a strong statement, condemning the actions of the fans and their terrible behavior.
“The Conference has established expectations for behavior and sportsmanship, and the actions of fans at Saturday night’s game were unacceptable under any circumstances,” SEC Commissioner Greg Stankey said in a statement. “We are accustomed to intense competition every week, but under no circumstances is it acceptable to endanger the contest participants and disrupt the game. We will review existing Conference policies and the Commissioner’s authority to impose penalties and communicate with the leadership at the University of Tennessee – and all of the SEC’s member universities – to make certain this situation is not repeated.”
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Tennessee president Donde Plowman also responded to the incident.
“I am astonished and sickened by the behavior of some Vol fans at the end of tonight’s game. Good sportsmanship must be part of who we are as Volunteers. Behavior that puts student athletes, coaches, visitors, and other fans at risk is not something we will tolerate,” Plowman tweeted.
Matt Corral passed for 231 yards and two touchdowns, adding 195 rushing yards.
Hooker finished with 233 passing yards, 108 rushing yards and two total touchdowns.
The loss dropped Tennessee’s record to 4-3.