AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Texas fans littered the north end of the field with water bottles and other trash after the first-place Longhorns’ interception was first wiped out by opponents. When asked about what he was doing, he was initially cautious. Pass interference penalty before the referee changes the call.
“I want to respect the wishes of the SEC office, so I won’t comment,” Smart first said when asked about the chaos during the No. 5 game. Bulldogs win 30-15 Saturday night. “But now that we have a precedent, I will say that if you endanger your athletes by throwing a large amount of material on the field, you have a chance to reverse that decision.”
The Southeastern Conference released a statement early Sunday morning saying officials made the appropriate decision with 3 minutes and 12 seconds left in the third quarter, with no penalty. There was contact between cornerback Jadei Barron and receiver Arian Smith prior to the selection.
“Match officials met to discuss the plays that were allowed to ensure the appropriate penalties were taken, and the referee who made the call reported that he had made the mistake. “The foul should not have been called for the defensive pass interference,” the statement said.
However, the league said the disruption caused by debris on the field will be reviewed in relation to the SEC’s sportsmanship policies and procedures.
“While the original penalty was not properly evaluated and assessed, debris being thrown onto the field is unacceptable at any time,” the league said in a statement.
Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian was furious with officials for a call that appeared to take away Barron’s 36-yard interception return to the Georgia 9. The coach would then head to the corner of the field and signal the student section to calm down and stop throwing.
“The frustration is understandable,” Sarkisian said. “We were all frustrated in that moment. But you know… Longhorn Nation, we know we’re better than that.”
While the debris was being cleared, officials discussed the play and picked up flags.
Smart later protested to referee Matt Loeffler, saying the coach told him the first penalty was given to the wrong player.
“It took him a long time to realize that,” Smart said, then asked who was the right person. “I think the offensive guy. You know, 11 (Smith) and 7 (Barron), two different numbers. I wonder if something like that has happened in my coaching career. I don’t understand.”
Sarkisian said officials never told him why the phone number was changed.
Two plays after the comeback, Quinn Ewers threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jadon Blue to put the Longhorns up 23-15 after trailing 23-0 at halftime.
“We were able to stop it, deal with it, and then regroup,” Sarkisian said of the disruption. “Then they reversed that decision and gave us an opportunity to get a short field and punch it in and get it to one point.”
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