The U. of Texas Learns Its Painful Penalty After Rowdy Fans Threw Trash Onto Field Over Ref’s Call

People can get passionate about their favorite sports teams, but things went to 11 (and beyond) during the University of Texas at Austin (UT) Longhorns’ football game versus the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday night. Playing on their home field, UT came into the eighth week of the season as #1 in the NCAA, while playing their first season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They also found themselves facing a strong Georgia squad that had only lost one game. 

My colleague Brad Slager shared this capsule of the gameplay:in his weekly NCAA rankings column:

This highly-touted matchup held little drama and was a mostly sloppy affair. Quinn Ewers was largely ineffective in the first half and was briefly benched before the break. Carson Beck was no better for Georgia, throwing for under 200 yards and giving up three interceptions, but the Dawgs opened up a 23-0 halftime lead and coasted on the running game. Trevor Etienne pushed in three touchdowns for the win in the first time in 50 games that Georgia had been the underdog.

Read more: Highlights, Lowlights, and Results—Plus the New Poll Rankings From College Football Week #8

As Slager wrote, the Dawgs doubled up the Longhorns in their win, 30 -15.

But while the game was mostly drama-free, there was some drama, as I hinted, during the third quarter when a temporarily botched call by the referee–which was reversed on review–spawned some rather unsportsmanlike conduct from rowdy Texas fans. The clearest explanation comes directly from SEC officials, who released a statement right after Saturday’s contest:

With 3:12 to play in the third quarter of the Georgia at Texas game, Texas intercepted a pass at the Georgia 46-yard line and returned it to the Georgia 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 Georgia 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 statement concluded: “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.”

Here’s UT head coach, Steve Sarkisian, rushing towards the student section in the stands, trying to calm things down:

According to KVUE, UT administrators also released a statement, apologizing to fans, parents, viewers, and the conference:

University President Jay Hartzell, Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife and Athletic Director Chris Del Conte condemned the behavior and apologized to Georgia players, coaches and fans, as well as the SEC for the display.

While we deeply appreciate the passion and loyalty of our fan base at The University of Texas at Austin, we do not condone the unsportsmanlike conduct that was exhibited by some individuals throwing objects onto the field during last night’s game and sincerely apologize to the University of Georgia players, coaches and fans, as well as the Southeastern Conference and officiating crew. This type of behavior will not be tolerated.

Respect, sportsmanship, and fairness are the values that drive our program, and we expect all of our fans to uphold these standards. We are committed to fostering a positive environment for all participants, teams, officials and fans, and we will take steps to ensure that this type of behavior does not happen again.

We appreciate the support of Longhorn Nation and are confident that, moving forward, we will continue to represent our university with pride and respect.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Now, the University of Texas at Austin has learned the penalty from the SEC–and it’s painful. First, the school itself must pay $250,000 and take the lead in ferreting out which fans threw objects (mainly water bottles and trash) onto the gridiron. Those fans will receive a ban from attending all UT athletic events for the school year. 

There was one more requirement, which could point to one of the causes of the disgusting display: 

UT will also have to review its “Athletics Department game management procedures and alcohol availability policies to prevent a recurrence of Saturday night’s disruption,” which will then have to be agreed upon by the SEC.