SEC Network's Derek Mason addresses officiating following Tennessee football vs Alabama

Derek Mason doesn’t remember seeing a team having five penalty yards in a game before. But the SEC Network analyst and former Vanderbilt coach wasn’t amazed that Alabama drew only one penalty for five yards Saturday against Tennessee football.

That could be a reflection of the speed of college football games and the inconsistency in officiating, Mason said Monday at the Knoxville Quarterback Club.

"They are doing the best they can,” he said. “Our game is extremely fast. There is a lot of pressure on referees nowadays because games matter.”

He was asked four questions about officiating Monday in the wake of No. 20 Tennessee’s 34-20 loss to No. 8 Alabama, which had prompted a long silence from Vols coach Josh Heupel during his postgame news conference. They ranged from Mason's take on getting a fair whistle at Alabama to the definition of pass interference.

Why Derek Mason said officiating in college football is difficult

Mason, who was the head coach at Vanderbilt from 2014 to 2020, said college football officiating is hard not just because of the speed of the game, but also that "sometimes it’s about job preservation" with referees.

The entire situation makes for a lack of consistency to Mason, who was Auburn's defensive coordinator in 2021 and held the same role at Oklahoma State in 2022.

"I think they're trying to bring the consistency across the landscape, we're gonna see it be better," said Mason, who joined the SEC Network this season. "But until we have consistent crews, consistent ideas about what everybody's doing, the consistency of calls are gonna continue to be something that goes up and down."

Mason, who is known for his defensive coaching abilities, reminded that he began his career as a wide receivers coach in the mid-1990s. When questioned about the definition of pass interference, he homed in on the difficulty of making those calls when no knows what the definition is.

Can an opponent get a fair whistle when playing at Alabama?

Tennessee was flagged for eight penalties for 55 yards Saturday, while Alabama had one penalty for five yards. It was a second-half illegal snap on the center.

Mason was asked if it is possible to get a fair whistle when playing at Bryant-Denny Stadium. He said he does not always agree with the calls, but avoids saying so on air and has no desire to throw either coaches or officials under the bus. He noted referees have the ability to discuss the penalty before it is announced.

"I do believe that we have to have a better understanding of timing and pace in games and how these things affect games," he said. "I know they happen fast in terms of calls made and what they are."

Alabama was flagged for 17 penalties for 130 yards in Tennessee's 52-49 win at Neyland Stadium in October 2022. The Vols were flagged six times for 39 yards.

"I love the game and the game doesn’t always go the way we want it to go," he said. "I try to be fair in my assessment."

How Josh Heupel responded to officiating in Tennessee's loss

Heupel's reaction Saturday after being asked about the officiating in Tuscaloosa, Alabama: 16 seconds of silence.

“Next question, yeah? Was that a long enough silence?" Heupel finally said.

The question asked if officiating was one-sided and suggested that Tennessee had to play two-hand touch while Alabama was allowed to play "Mortal Kombat." The Vols coach tapped his hands on the lectern multiple times and put his head down during his silence before raising his head and looking around the room.

Tennessee was the SEC's most-penalized team entering the game, with a conference high for both average number of penalties (8.0) and yards (69.2).

Alabama averaged 6.9 penalties and 55.4 yards per game before Saturday. The Crimson Tide was flagged 14 times for 99 yards at Texas A&M on Oct. 7.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Analyst Derek Mason talks of officiating in Tennessee football vs Alabama