Fortunately a controversial moment in arguably the biggest game of the weekend in college football between Georgia and Texas ultimately did not impact the final outcome. However, it provided previously undefeated and No. 1 Texas with a boost of momentum in its eventual 30-15 loss Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron intercepted Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck during the third quarter and returned the ball to the 9-yard line. Initially, the play was negated by a defensive pass interference call on Barron, prompting Texas fans — especially those near the student section — to litter the field with bottles and debris. During the delay, officials discussed the play and reversed the call, upholding the interception in a stunning turn of events.
The SEC released a statement several hours after the game regarding the officiating decision and delay because of debris thrown on the field.
“With 3:12 to play in the third quarter of the Georgia at Texas game, Texas intercepted a pass at the Texas 49-yard line and returned it to the Texas 9-yard line,” the statement read. “Texas was flagged for committing defensive pass interference on the play which resulted in Georgia maintaining the ball with a first down. The game officials gathered to discuss the play, which is permitted to ensure the proper penalty is enforced, at which time the calling official reported that he erred, and a foul should not have been called for defensive pass interference. Consequently, Texas was awarded the ball at the Texas 9-yard line.
“While the original evaluation and assessment of the penalty was not properly executed, it is unacceptable to have debris thrown on the field at any time. The disruption of the game due to debris being thrown on the field will be reviewed by the conference office related to SEC sportsmanship policies and procedures.”
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had a fiery response during his on-field postgame interview with ESPN sideline reporter Katie George and further addressed the decision at a press conference Saturday night.
“[The official] just said the guy got it wrong,” Smart said. “The guy called it on the wrong guy, which it took him a long time to realize that. So it’s one of those things that I don’t know what I’m allowed to say or not say, so I won’t comment because I want to respect the wishes of the SEC office. But I will say that now we’ve set a precedent that if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, that you’ve got a chance to get your call reversed. And that’s unfortunate, because to me, that’s dangerous. That’s not what we want. That’s not criticizing officials. That’s what happened.”
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was also asked about the incident postgame, addressing both the fan behavior and the impact of the overturned call.
“I understand the frustration,” Sarkisian said. “We were all frustrated in the moment. All of us in Longhorn Nation, we can be better than that. We were able to get that stop and get that taken care of and regroup. Then they overturned that call. It gave us the opportunity to get a short field, punch one in and make it a one-score game.”
RELATED (VIP): No. 1 Texas’ offensive ineptitude dooms chances of remaining undefeated, falling to No. 5 Georgia 30-15
The loss for Texas snapped its undefeated record this season and likely relegates them from the No. 1 spot in the national rankings Sunday.
