According to ABC rules analyst Matt Austin, Oklahoma got away with one on a play that resulted in a touchdown against Auburn on Saturday.
With the score tied 3-3 and Oklahoma driving deep in Auburn territory, wide receiver Isaiah Sategna made for the sidelines as if he was being substituted for, but stopped right before entirely leaving the field. When the ball was snapped, no one on Auburn’s defense realized he was eligible, and he breezed into the endzone for a touchdown score.
A little trickery from the Sooners 👀
Isaiah Sategna pretended to head to the sideline before bursting free for the touchdown.
Watch Auburn-Oklahoma on ABC and the ESPN App 🍿 pic.twitter.com/tqvstbi5Ym
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 20, 2025
As Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze lost it on the sideline, ABC announcers Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy were just as confused as everyone else, though McElroy thought it should have been a penalty. They called in Austin, who initially said that while he couldn’t see the receiver at the sideline from the camera angle, “you cannot use the substitution process to deceive your opponent.”
“If that’s what they were trying to do, that’s an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty,” he added. “It should be fifteen yards and no touchdown.”
When the ABC broadcast showed a new angle of Sategna on the sideline, it seemed even more apparent that Oklahoma had gotten away with some trickery.
Matt Austin on NEW ANGLE with receiver nearly out of bounds on Oklahoma touchdown. By rule (wording wise, legally) meets requirements for no penalty, but you be the judge!
“You can’t go off and pretend you’re leaving and still stay on.” pic.twitter.com/n0cBv0Bn84
— Gabe Burggraf (@GabeBurggraf) September 20, 2025
“The way the receiver is walking to the sideline, his body language says, ‘I’m going off the field.’ Then he stops right by the sideline, and it’s his own sideline; that’s no coincidence,” added Austin. “To me, this is a hideout play, and it should be an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.”
According to On3’s George Stoia III, the team practiced this play all week.
According to Bob Stoops, via Teddy Lehman on the radio broadcast, the team practiced this play all week. https://t.co/MAAxFz58ha
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) September 20, 2025
It sure sounds like the Sooners got away with one here. At the time of this writing, they lead 16-10 in the fourth quarter, so that touchdown will likely loom large over the final score.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.