ESPN requested replay of TD catch in Auburn spring game

DESTIN, Fla. -- The video review of D'haquille Williams' touchdown on A-Day was not for any sort of legitimate concern as to whether Auburn's newest wide receiver was in bounds, but rather to test a new technology.

"We knew it was a touchdown," SEC coordinator of officials Steve Shaw said. "I was out there with the crew and coach (Gus) Malzahn looked at me and he said 'I don't care what they see, we're going touchdown on that one.' I jogged over to Mark Curles the referee, and said, 'hey Mark whatever they tell you this is a touchdown, coach wants it.'

"He gets that latitude in a spring game."

ESPN requested to have one play in the game reviewed to see if they could have the on-screen video of what the replay official shown on the Jumbotron for fans to see. Williams' 3-yard over the shoulder touchdown grab with 49 seconds to go in the first quarter became the guinea pig for what could become a widely used technology.

"Normally in a spring game we would never stop a game for review," Shaw said. "(ESPN) took the replay feed from the replay screen and put it on the Jumbotron - not what the TV producer and announcers were looking at - but actually what was on our screen."

In an effort to improve fan experience the SEC permitted schools to show replay in their stadiums last season.

Shaw said the officials actually liked having replay shown to the fans in the stands because when a replay did happen it was a useful resource for the referee to use while listening to the replay official explain the play.

Last month's experiment was also viewed as a success.

"The fans in the stands, for the fan experience, they get to see something that nobody else sees and then the second part is, they saw the money shot," Shaw said. "They could see why we were not going to overturn this play."