Georgia fans have been waiting for the Bulldogs to look like their old selves, and they did Saturday night while manhandling the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, 30-15. However, it didn’t come without controversy from the officiating.
With Georgia winning 23-8 late in the third quarter, Carson Beck threw an interception to Jahdae Barron. However, the play was originally flagged for pass interference by the defense, negating a massive play for the Longhorns. This caused a lengthy delay as incensed Texas fans threw bottles on the field.
The officials met during the delay and they overturned the penalty, meaning the interception call stood.
The decision was misguided and inexplicable. Penalties are not reviewable unless they could call for an ejection. Kirby Smart was, justifiably, irate over the referee’s decision to overturn the penalty, saying after the game: “They tried to rob us of calls.”
With that in mind, here’s what the SEC had to say on the matter:
“With 3:12 to play in the third quarter of the Georgia at Texas game, Texas intercepted a pass at the Texas 46-yard line and returned it to the Texas 9-yard line. 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 onto the field will be reviewed by the conference office related to SEC sportsmanship policies and procedures,” said the SEC office.
Two Georgia players were also ejected for targeting against Texas.