Quarterback Danny Etling and receiver DJ Chark said Monday they didn’t agree with the penalty called on Stephen Sullivan on the fifth play of Saturday’s 37-7 loss at Mississippi State, which wiped out Chark’s 67-yard TD grab from Etling.
Sullivan shot off the line of scrimmage and ran right into a Mississippi State defender as Chark raced down the sideline to pull in a perfectly-thrown pass from Etling that would have given LSU a 7-0 lead.
An official flagged Sullivan for pass interference, ruling it a pick that allowed Chark to race downfield. Chark said the penalty was “unfair” because Sullivan did the only thing he could do against a defender in man coverage who came up to bump him.
“I watched it maybe twice … I watched it (that night), I watched it on film,” Chark said. “I just haven’t watched it again because I felt like it was a terrible call, and I felt like you shouldn’t take that away from a team.
“If you’re not sure of what happened, I feel like you shouldn’t make a decision on it,” he added. “After watching the film, we definitely ran the play the way it was supposed to (be run). To have that taken back, that’s really changing the game.”
