AUSTIN, Texas — SEC officiating was under the microscope Saturday evening in Austin – for a bad reason. No. 5 Georgia defeated No. 1 Texas 30-15, but one event will remain at the forefront of conversation.
At the 3:11 mark of the third quarter, with Georgia leading Texas 23-8, one of the season’s more controversial sequences occurred. Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck threw an interception to Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron, who returned the ball to the Georgia 9-yard line.
But the officials threw a flag on the play, declaring Barron interfered with Georgia wideout Arian Smith. Instead of Texas having first-and-goal, the Bulldogs were awarded a first down on their third-and-10 throw from their own 31.
Replay showed contact between the defensive back and the receiver, but likely not enough to warrant a penalty. The Longhorns’ student section began throwing trash onto the field, causing a delay of game.
About five minutes after the initial call, with the field cleared of debris, the officials announced they had reversed their decision, and there was no flag on the play. Georgia coach Kirby Smart was livid. It was an unprecedented move that led to Texas pulling within 23-15.
“(The official) just said the (official) got it wrong,” Smart said. “That he called it on the wrong guy, which – it took him a long time to realize that. It’s one of those things where 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 have a chance to get your call reversed. That’s unfortunate because to me that’s dangerous. That’s not what we want. That’s not criticizing officials. That’s what happened.”
Regarding Smart’s mention that the official said he “called it on the wrong guy,” he was suggesting the official said it should’ve been called offensive pass interference.
“I guess the offensive guy,” Smart said. “Eleven and seven, two distinct numbers. I don’t know in my coaching career that I’ve ever seen that happen that way. Pretty unfortunate.”
Smart was even more adamant during his postgame interview on the field with ESPN, saying: “They tried to rob us with calls in this place.”
The SEC issued a statement about the incident after the game. It read:
“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.”
The Bulldogs are off next weekend before facing the Florida Gators in Jacksonville on Nov. 2.
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