SEC imposes penalty on Texas Longhorns

As the Texas Longhorns attempted to stage a comeback against the Georgia Bulldogs, one of the most bizarre sequences you will ever see in college football took place in front of a national audience.

Late in the third quarter, Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron singled out Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck for the second time, setting up his team with excellent field position. At least it seemed that way until the officials called Barron for a very questionable pass interference penalty.

The fans were very, very unhappy about this call and rained water bottles, beer cans, and various other types of debris onto the field. After a lengthy delay in clearing the field, the officials strangely reversed the decision and gave the ball back to Texas.

The fallout from this sequence is ongoing and the latest development will cost the Longhorns a pretty penny.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the SEC fined Texas $250,000 for the incident. Additionally, the university is required to “use all available resources, including security, stadium and television video, to identify individuals who have thrown objects onto the field or at the opposing team,” and to suspend any identified individuals. The university must also “review and update its game management procedures and athletics department alcohol availability policies” and submit a report to the conference office.

Shortly after the game, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey released a statement condemning the fans’ behavior.

“The throwing of debris and resulting interruption of play that occurred Saturday evening cannot be part of an SEC event,” Sankey said in a statement. “The SEC is delegated by its members the responsibility to enforce its sports and game management policies, and these actions are consistent with that oversight responsibility, including financial penalties and mandatory reviews.”

After a road trip to Vanderbilt next week, the Longhorns’ next game at Darrell K. Royal Stadium is Nov. 9 against Florida.