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Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian was more than satisfied with the reversal of Jahdae Barron’s defensive pass interference call. Georgia coach Kirby Smart, on the other hand, was not, despite his team winning 30-15.
“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,” Smart said on the field after the game.
According to Yahoo Sports reporter Ross Dellenger, Smart spoke to head referee Matt Loeffler, who told the coach that they had called the penalty on the “wrong guy.”
A law enforcement officer stands next to the Georgia Bulldogs after Texas fans began throwing trash on the field in the third quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Saturday October 19, 2024.
It was a truly bizarre sequence of events. Upon replay, it seemed as if Barron was interfered with by Georgia receiver Arian Smith. Once Longhorns fans saw the video, they began throwing trash onto the field in protest. The officials reversed the call a few minutes later.
The decision had a massive impact on the Longhorns’ fortunes. Instead of facing Georgia’s offense at midfield, Texas scored a touchdown a few plays later. Quarterback Quinn Ewers threw a 17-yard pass to Jaydon Blue, cutting the lead to 23-15 in the third quarter.
Dellenger reported that Smart was concerned that the actions of the fans seemed to influence the officials’ thinking. Before the incident, the referees had spotted the ball and the Bulldogs had been ready to run a play.
“Now we’ve set a precedent if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, you have a chance to get the call reversed. That’s dangerous,” Smart said.
The Southeastern Conference released an official statement on the situation after the game.
“While the original evaluation and assessment of the penalty was not…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/georgia-coach-kirby-smart-rips-130145708.html
Author : Austin American-Statesman
Publish date : 2024-10-20 13:01:45
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