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The Georgia-Texas referees called for the ball, giving in to the angry fans

The Georgia-Texas referees called for the ball, giving in to the angry fans

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  • By changing a penalty after a few minutes of delay, the referees in the Georgia-Texas game gave the impression that they were pandering to angry fans.
  • A Texas player admits: “Most likely” the fans’ behavior caused officials to change the decision.
  • Kirby Smart of Georgia complains that overturning the sentence sets a bad precedent.

Referees in Austin, Texas, were given clarity amid a deluge of debris as replays of a controversial penalty shot played on the stadium’s big screen.

During the second half of Saturday’s game between Georgia and Texas, referees called and reversed a controversial pass interference call. That is allowed. However, the fact that they changed their mind about the penalty after the fans interrupted the game by destroying the pitch was a unique and shocking twist.

It seemed as if the referees had given in to the unruly fans.

I think it’s highly unlikely that the most controversial decision of the weekend would have been reversed if not for the reaction of the Texas fans to the first penalty.

Afterward, Texas defenseman Jahdae Barron said what most of us were thinking: Longhorns fans’ outrage caused officials to reverse the decision.

“Yeah, probably,” Barron said when asked if he thought the crowd’s reaction influenced the reversal of the call. “Most likely.”

Jeers turned into cheers.

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What happened during the controversial penalty kick in the Georgia vs. Texas game?

Here’s how it all went down: Barron intercepted a pass from Carson Beck in the third quarter and returned his prize to the Georgia 9-yard line. But wait, there was a flag on the field.

Three referees sat together to discuss the penalty for about 20 seconds before head referee Matt Loeffler announced the call: defensive pass interference against Barron. No interception. First we go to Georgia.

Texas fans howled.

Contact occurred between Georgia receiver Arian Smith and Barron, but replay appeared to show Smith initiated the contact.

When the stadium’s video board showed the replay, the fans became even more upset. They littered the field with debris, with most items thrown from the student area.

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian ran across the field, imploring fans to stop throwing things, as Texas cheerleaders helped clear away the debris. The objects stopped flying and fans began chanting an obscenity that rhymes with “bull spit.”

The replay was shown several times in the stadium.

Did the officials take a look? You won’t convince me that none of them stole a glance.

Anyway, with the game paused amid the hubbub, the refereeing team reassembled before Loeffler announced a stunning about-face: No pass interference. No penalty. First we go to Texas.

Two plays later, the Longhorns celebrated in the end zone and Georgia’s lead was reduced to 23-15.

“Pass interference call change sets a bad precedent,” complains Georgia’s Kirby Smart

Did the crowd reaction and delay in play cause the referees to change course? I can’t say for sure, but my thoughts echo Barron’s: Most likely.

The officials had already left the penalty area before the game was stopped, while the fans made the pitch unplayable for several minutes. Would the referees have stopped the game and reconvened to review the penalty if the crowd hadn’t littered the field before Georgia made its next play? I doubt it.

So did the officials understand this correctly?

In some ways yes, and not at all.

The way I and other press observers saw it, Barron should not have been cited for pass interference because the contact between Barron and Smith did not appear to amount to a defensive penalty.

Officials are permitted to gather and discuss such a flag before making a decision. However, pass interference is not reviewable, meaning this decision cannot be reversed due to a replay.

While the referees may have been right in the end, the way they came to their decision is highly unusual at best and terribly lazy at worst.

Three officials gathered to discuss the flag before the punishment was first announced. Why wasn’t the flag flown back then? What changed between this first and second conference?

Here’s what changed: The fans stopped the game with their outrage, the replay was shown several times in the stadium and the officials reversed the call.

Perhaps an officer happened to have an epiphany amid a shower of water bottles. Sure, that’s possible. But would this epiphany have come in time if the game had not been paused for three minutes and the replay had been played over and over again during that time for wandering eyes to see?

Consider Georgia coach Kirby Smart one of the extreme skeptics.

“Now we have a precedent,” Smart complained, “that if you throw a lot of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, you have a chance to have the lawsuit reversed.”

Greedy fans from Knoxville to Oxford are licking their fingers.

If the home crowd doesn’t like a ticky-tock call, get out! In the meantime, show this replay on a loop around the stadium until the referees come to their senses!

How the SEC punished Texas for fan behavior

The SEC ordered Texas to track down the bottle throwers and ban those fans from attending games for the remainder of the sports season. I’m sure this will be a top-notch investigation that would make Barney Fife proud.

The SEC also fined Texas $250,000. Big cheers. Handing out cash is a time-honored ritual in college athletics departments. If the decision reversal had affected the outcome of the game – it didn’t, Georgia won 30-15 – the Longhorns would have considered that money well spent.

Barron said he assumed officials had imposed the sentence incorrectly from the start and that sentencing him was “crazy.”

“I thought it was a bad decision,” Barron said, “so it was good that they changed it.”

It’s good that the officers corrected the call, yes, but the way they came to their decision is terrible.

Blake Toppmeyer is the national college football columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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