SEC releases statement on reversed penalty called on Texas CB Jahdae Barron

When the game officials gathered during the play stoppage caused by Longhorns fans, the calling official admitted his mistake.

AUSTIN, Texas — In the immediate wake of the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs beating the No. 1 Texas Longhorns 30-15 in Austin on Saturday, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart leaned into an “us against the world” mentality in an interview with ABC.

“Nobody gave us a chance. Your entire network doubted us. Nobody believed us and then they tried to rob us with calls in this place,” Smart said.

And while the initial coachspeak ranks as barely memorable, the conspiracy accusations against the officiating crew are more noticeable and mostly rest on a single call — the reversed defensive pass-interference penalty on Texas super senior cornerback Jahdae Barron that initially negated a 36-yard interception return to the Georgia 9-yard line late in the third quarter as the Horns tried to battle back from a 23-point halftime deficit.

Barron was initially flagged for contact with Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith at the top of his route, a call panned by the commentators on ABC and one that sparked an unusually demonstrative reaction from Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and an even more pronounced reaction from the student section on the opposite side of the stadium with fans throwing debris on the field, sparking a four-minute stoppage of play.

While the trash was removed from the field, the officials huddled, eventually announcing that they were picking up the flag and allowing the interception to stand, an unusual decision since pass-interference penalties are not reviewable.

After the game, the SEC office released a statement on the call.

“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 statement said.

“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.”

Expect the conference to fine the Longhorns for the unruly fan behavior.

“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 said.

“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.”

Last year, Ole Miss was fined $75,000 following similar fan reactions during the game against LSU in response to a controversial call in addition to requiring reviews and updates to the school’s game management procedures.

On Sunday, University of Texas leadership — UT System Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife, UT president Jay Hartzell, and athletics director Chris Del Conte — released a statement on Saturday’s fan behavior.

“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,” the statement said.

“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,” university leadership continued.

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

But did the delay influence the final decision? That’s perhaps the most important question about the unusual reversal.

Asked about it after the game, Barron admitted that it likely made a difference.

Smart addressed the possibility in his post-game press conference.

“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.”