No. 5 Texas A&M faced Auburn on the road Saturday in a nail-biting battle between the second- and third-ranked teams in the SEC West (both trail No. 1 Alabama).
Aggies senior quarterback Kellen Mond got off to a strong start by helping lead the team to the end zone on its first possession of the game, connecting with sophomore tight end Jalen Wydermyer for a 10-yard touchdown and an early lead. Texas A&M had a 14-10 lead at halftime, but Auburn — led by magician quarterback Bo Nix — got it back early in the third.
And that brings us to a drive, and one specific play, that Mond probably wishes he could do over. On 2nd-and-8 from the Aggies’ 43-yard line with a little more than eight minutes left in the third, Mond had his eye on junior wide receiver Hezekiah Jones down the middle near the first-down marker.
But unfortunately for Mond, not only did he miss Jones, but he also nailed the official and knocked his hat off with this unfortunate pass attempt.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) December 5, 2020
As ESPN’s broadcasters joked: “I thought A&M was supposed to have the 12th man. Auburn’s got the 12th man on this play, and it’s the umpire.”
Thankfully, it appears the official was not injured by the pass, and perhaps the ball grazed his head just enough to knock his hat to the ground. But college football Twitter was not particularly impressed with that play, which ultimately led to the Aggies punting from their own 43.
The Kellen Mond crossing route that beans the ref will be replayed a few times if this game keeps going the way it’s going.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) December 5, 2020
Kellen Mond just hit the ref, get him out
— Grief Counselor (@sheabooskyy) December 5, 2020
Kellen Mond threw it right on the money … at the umpire. pic.twitter.com/b3R8TxvhjX
— Christopher Boan (@cgboan) December 5, 2020
Auburn Jesus working overtime today… pic.twitter.com/YaEtQVIbj7
— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) December 5, 2020
Kellen Mond just hit the ref in the head with the football, this dude is cheeks
— If BRADLEY BEALe Street Could Play (@HansonO15) December 5, 2020
Pin-point accuracy by Aggie QB Kellen Mond…if he was aiming for the ref's head…#TAMUvsAUBpic.twitter.com/UDP69V4Onw
— 5Dimes (@5DimesSB) December 5, 2020
Kellen Mond throws a pass to the ref pic.twitter.com/esxAJoVvF3
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) December 5, 2020
At the time of this post, Texas A&M had a slight 21-20 lead over Auburn early in the fourth quarter.
UPDATE: It looks like Mond wasn’t the only one to hit a referee Saturday. Kansas State quarterback Will Howard did too.
WATCH OUT, REF 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/aM1iZIolgY
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 5, 2020
