The No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs upset No. 1 Texas Longhorns 30-15 in Austin on Saturday evening as Bulldogs running back Trevor Etienne ran for three touchdowns in a game marred by Texas fans throwing trash on the field.
The incident began late in the third quarter with Texas trailing 23-8. Referees called a pass interference penalty that initially negated an interception and 36-yard return from Longhorns safety Jahdae Barron, which had brought the crowd to their feet.
Texas fans expressed their frustration with the call by throwing water bottles and other trash onto the field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, which were cleared up by cheerleaders and other team staff.
After a discussion, the referees reversed the call and two plays later, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to running back Jaydon Blue. The Longhorns were now down 23-15 after making the extra point.
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) said in a statement that officials are allowed to gather to discuss play and that while the original call “was not properly executed, it is unacceptable to have debris thrown on the field at any time.” The incident will be reviewed by office overseeing the SEC’s “sportsmanship policies and procedures,” the conference added.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart told reporters after the game that he feared the incident could set a “precedent.”
“I won’t comment because I want to respect the wishes of the SEC office,” he said. “But I will say now we have a precedent that if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, that you’ve got a chance to get your call reversed and that’s unfortunate because to me that’s dangerous.”
With Texas back into the game after Georgia raced to a 23-0 halftime lead, the Bulldogs extended their lead as Etienne ran for his third touchdown of the night in the fourth.
Texas’ 15-point loss marked the biggest loss for a No. 1 ranked team at home since 1982, according to AP, which cited sports technology and betting company Sportradar.
It also ended the Longhorns’ perfect record as they fell to 6-1. There are now no undefeated teams left in the SEC which, according to ESPN Research, is the first time since 2007 that every team in the conference has lost a game before the end of October.
“Unfortunately we didn’t play our best football tonight but we were still competitive,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters afterward. “Hopefully we get another crack at them, that’s a good football team … The beauty of this format is that losing a game like this doesn’t kill us, everything we want is still in front of us. The challenge for us is to be able to regroup.”
Texas will likely lose its No. 1 spot in the AP poll after the defeat, possibly to be replaced by No. 2 Oregon Ducks or perhaps even Georgia.