“Gonna Get Fined”: Eli Drinkwitz Sends Message After Controversial Referee Call Favors Arch Manning’s Texas

Missouri’s 34-20 loss to Texas was ugly enough, but a controversial call involving Arch Manning made it even worse. The disputed ruling sparked outrage among Tigers fans, and Eli Drinkwitz wasn’t exactly hiding his frustration. When pressed on whether the officials had followed the rulebook, the Missouri coach delivered a pointed response without directly accusing anyone of getting it wrong.

OutKick’s Trey Wallace shared the exchange on X, where Eli Drinkwitz made it clear that he wasn’t interested in getting into a public fight with the officials.

“My job is to respond to the situations,” he said. “They have officials. They have a crew from the SEC that calls in. And they reviewed it. So I don’t know what to tell you. If I say what I want to say, I’m going to get fined until I don’t have any retirement. And I’m not going to do that, because I’m not going to blame the officials. That’d be disrespectful.”

It’s not hard to read the frustration behind that classic coach-speak. The incident happened late in the third quarter, with Missouri holding a 20-13 advantage. Texas faced third-and-10 when LB Brian Huff made contact with Arch Manning’s throwing hand as the QB attempted to get rid of the football. Then the bizarre sequence followed.

When referees shape the outcome, tensions boil over. Stay on top of college football's most controversial moments and their fallout with EssentiallySports.

The ball traveled roughly 12 yards forward before hitting the ground. A Missouri defender had an opportunity to treat it as an incomplete pass, while the initial signal from an official was also incomplete. However, the ruling on the field ultimately became a fumble, with Texas recovering and keeping possession.

Replay review didn’t change anything. That left Missouri staring at a decision that handed the Longhorns a fresh set of downs instead of forcing them into fourth down. Texas took advantage, scoring three plays later to pull level at 20-20. For the Tigers, it was a brutal momentum swing at the wrong time.

The SEC later defended the decision in an explanation provided to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“The ruling on the field was a fumble,” the conference spokesperson explained. “In replay review, it was determined there was not clear and obvious video evidence that he had firm control of the ball when the hand intentionally started forward in order to overturn the call.”

That didn’t convince everyone. Former NFL referee Terry McAulay publicly disagreed with the decision, arguing that Arch Manning had lost control of the football after beginning his throwing motion.

“This is clearly and obviously an incomplete pass,” he wrote on X. “He loses control after the hand moves forward.”

That decision wasn’t the only moment that raised questions among Missouri fans. Several other calls and reviews became talking points, including a disputed catch involving Cayden Lee and a controversial unnecessary roughness situation involving Texas CB Warren Roberson. Tigers QB Austin Simmons also had a rushing touchdown overturned after officials reviewed the play.

Not every decision necessarily belonged in the same category, but the accumulation made for an uncomfortable afternoon for the Tigers. Missouri fans were increasingly vocal, particularly as reviews continued to go against their team.

Eli Drinkwitz, though, wasn’t about to turn his postgame appearance into an officials-bashing session. His retirement comment was humorous, but the message underneath it was unmistakable.

Texas eventually pulled away for a 34-20 victory, collecting another important win in its College Football Playoff pursuit. At 7-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play, the Longhorns remained involved in the postseason conversation. Missouri, meanwhile, dropped to 6-3 and 3-3 in conference play.

There was no guarantee that a different ruling would have changed the final result. Texas still had to finish the drive. Still, a fourth-down situation became a Texas first down, and a seven-point Missouri lead disappeared shortly afterward. Eli Drinkwitz wasn’t going to say the officials got it wrong. His warning about losing his retirement money did most of the talking.

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