DESTIN, Fla. — There's a game that SEC director of officials Steve Shaw called the tipping point of needing more transparency in officiating and that's LSU and Texas A&M's seven overtime ball game in College Station, Texas, which saw the Tigers fall, 74-72. There were a few controversial calls that were debated for weeks to come among SEC circles.

Shaw admitted that Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond's knee was down in the final 40 seconds of the game. The officials missed the call initially, LSU safety Grant Delpit intercepted his pass and the Tigers thought the game was won. Mond's knee was ruled down and the Aggies tied the game plays later to extend it to overtime with the extra time thanks to the missed call.

That doesn't mean Shaw didn't think his crew did their job that game at Kyle Field.

“If you believe the social media view, that was the worst officiated game in the history of SEC football," Shaw explained. "I’m going to tell you: that crew worked a heck of a game.”

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron met with the media on Wednesday and said Shaw took his call at 6 a.m., when he was admittedly ticked off, and Shaw confirmed their discussions throughout the days after the game. Orgeron said he's had great dealings with officials

"They've been great and awesome. On the sidelines, they're great to me. I've known all these guys for a long time. On Sunday after the Texas A&M game, it was a tough game, but you know I called Steve Shaw at 6 o'clock in the morning. I was angry. He answered my question. He answered my phone call. There's a lot of communication. On our part, it's been very good.

"It's a credibility. Hey, we faced it right there. We talked about it. There were several things I wanted to talk to him about. We spoke several times that day, so I gotta give him credit on that."

Orgeron said the difference between winning 10 and 11 games is "huge" and it can affect everything. Shaw said that a long overtime session can wear on an officiating crew, which is why a rule change to the overtime format happened where teams alternate two-point conversion tries after the fifth overtime.

"255 plays. That game gave a shot in the arm to a rule change," Shaw told reporters Thursday. "And we have seven OTs. That’s 14 red zone opportunities."

It's also a big deal for the student-athletes playing for either side. No one wanted a tie game in college football though.

"The object is to get the student-athletes off the field," Shaw said. "We even talked about whether we want to have a tie, eventually. Nobody wants a tie."

Orgeron praised the league for the job they do and thinks they're doing all they can to rectify the calls missed and get ahead of the game on controversial moments.

"I think so. I think they're really looking at everything," Orgeron said. "I think the SEC guys do a tremendous job, I really do. They're first class, very professional. Do they make mistakes? Yes they do. I think they're bringing in consultants to see where they can get better. They have guys that talk to us. They're very open. I think they're a group that wants to be the very best and in my opinion they are."