Kirby Smart blasted by fans for apparently lying to referees during timeout in Georgia-Auburn clash

College football fans torched Georgia coach Kirby Smart after he allegedly lied to referees about a timeout during the No. 10 Bulldogs’ 20-10 win over Auburn on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.

The incident occurred early in the fourth quarter with Georgia leading 13-10. Smart was running down the field and apparently signaling a timeout.

SEC officials approved his request, but Smart ran to an official, explaining that his gesture was intended to boost morale among his players. Georgia had its timeout counter reset when officials accepted Smart and overturned the call, prompting disbelief from fans.

One fan called Smart a cheater and the other called for the SEC to fine him after the antics caused a delay in the game, which the referees also missed.

Some college football fans have criticized Smart for his actions and others have criticized officials, particularly SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, for allegedly allowing such cases to exist in the sport.

The No. 10 Bulldogs came back from 10-0 down by scoring 20 straight points over the next three quarters to defeat Auburn and improved to 3-1 in the SEC and 5-1 overall. The Tigers, meanwhile, fell to 0-3 in conference play and 3-3 overall.