Tempers continued to simmer on Sunday morning after a controversial penalty reversal during Georgia’s 30-15 win over Texas in Austin on Saturday night.
Late in the third quarter with the Bulldogs leading 23-8, the Longhorns’ Jahdae Barron intercepted a Carson Beck pass and returned it 36 yards to the Georgia 9. However, officials had flagged Barron for pass interference, nullifying the interception and marking a first down for the Bulldogs at their 44-yard line.
That set off the highly partisan Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium fans, many of whom booed vociferously and threw objects such as half-full beverage cups and water bottles onto the field. While Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was pleading with fans to stop, the officials huddled and overturned the call — wiping out the penalty and giving the ball to Texas.
The Longhorns quickly scored a touchdown to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 23-15, though Georgia ultimately held on to win. Though the final assessment — an interception and not pass interference — appeared to be the correct one, Smart was livid that officials would reverse themselves on what, by rule, is a non-reviewable call.
“I will say that now you’ve set a precedent that if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, that you got a chance to get your call reversed,” Smart said in his post-game remarks. “And that’s unfortunate because, to me, that’s dangerous.”
Here’s video of the play and its aftermath:
Smart was even more fiery in the moments immediately after the game, accusing “they” (presumably the officials) of trying to “rob” his team. In addition, he noted that the entire ESPN College GameDay panel — including former Alabama coach Nick Saban, Smart’s mentor — picked Texas to win the game.
“I’m so proud of these guys because nobody believed,” Smart told ABC sideline reporter Katie George. “Nobody gave us a chance. Your whole network doubted us. Nobody believed us. And then they tried to rob us with calls in this place. And these guys are so resilient.”
Sarkisian first argued stridently against the penalty, before rushing over to calm the fans.
“I was literally just asking the official what he saw to warrant (defensive pass interference),” Sarkisian said. “And then at that moment, the trash came on the field. I understand frustration. We all were frustrated in the moment. All of us, Longhorn Nation, I know we can be better than that. The fact that we’re able to get that stopped and get that taken care of and then regroup, then they overturn that call, give us an opportunity to get a short field and punch one in and close it to a one-score game.”
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian reacts to a defensive pass interference call against his team that was reversed to a defensive pass interference call against Georgia during the second half an NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Georgia won 30-15. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas)AP
The SEC released a statement late Saturday/early Sunday, revealing that during the delay the official who made the pass interference call (field judge Antonio Smith) “reported that he erred, and a foul should not have been called.” However, the conference also noted that the call overturn was “not properly executed,” and that Texas might face punitive action for its fans throwing objects on the field.
Tennessee was fined $250,000 by the conference office in 2021 after its fans threw debris — including golf balls and at least one mustard bottle — onto the field following a controversial call at the end of the Volunteers’ 31-26 loss to Ole Miss (Rebels coach Lane Kiffin was hit by a golf ball, which he kept to show to officials). SEC officials also vowed to identify offending individuals and ban them from Tennessee athletic events for the remainder of the school year.
“It is unacceptable to have debris thrown on the field at any time,” the SEC’s statement issued Sunday read in part. “The disruption of the game due to debris being thrown onto the field will be reviewed by the Conference office related to SEC sportsmanship policies and procedures.”
Georgia athletics director Josh Brooks released his own statement in response to the SEC on Sunday morning, noting that the timing of the reversal appeared to be suspicious.
“What I cannot accept is the manner in which this specific call was reversed,” Brooks said. “The official claimed he erred in the call. My question is when did he realize the error?
“If it was before the delay that occurred due to fans throwing objects on the field, what stopped him before the head official made the announcement and spotted the ball?”
Texas was ranked No. 1 and was the final unbeaten team in the SEC before Saturday’s loss. The Longhorns and Bulldogs are both now 6-1 this season.
Here’s the full text of Brooks’ statement:
“It is my privilege and duty to serve the University of Georgia and part of that responsibility is to stand up for my coaches, student-athletes, staff, and all of Dawg Nation.
“As proud as I am of the resolve our team had, I am also equally disappointed and frustrated in some of the circumstances of our game Saturday night.
“I don’t find it productive to publicly demean or embarrass officials or the conference office via social media. That would be no better than the physical action of throwing objects on the field.
“However, I will challenge the conference office on what happened and how it happened in the manner it did. Thankfully this did not cost our young men a hard-fought win.
“Disagreeing with a singular call is natural and will happen several times in every football game. I can accept that. What I cannot accept is the manner in which this specific call was reversed. The official claimed he erred in the call. My question is when did he realize the error?
“If it was before the delay that occurred due to fans throwing objects on the field, what stopped him before the head official made the announcement and spotted the ball?
“I have faith we, as a conference, will learn from this and get better. We must, because in the SEC it just means more.”
