Officials reverse controversial Texas pass interference call during delay for fans throwing objects onto the field
Have you ever seen a pass interference call take nearly five minutes to get figured out?
Pass interference or no pass interference? That’s the question that plagued the end of the third quarter of No. 1 Texas’ loss to No. 5 Georgia on Saturday.
Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron intercepted Carson Beck and returned the ball inside the Georgia 10-yard line. But a flag was thrown on the play and after a quick discussion, officials ruled that Barron should be flagged for pass interference on Arian Smith.
It was a very, very, very controversial call as Smith was the one who initiated contact with Barron.
This was called pass interference to wipe out a huge Texas interception pic.twitter.com/5aiCVhtGLf
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) October 20, 2024
Texas fans were unhappy and threw objects on the field. The game was seemingly delayed for the debris on the field and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian even walked over to the student section to calm fans down.
Texas fans threw bottles on the field before the refs overturned a controversial PI call 😬 pic.twitter.com/CgIVbqrmcF
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 20, 2024
Texas fans threw debris onto field after an interception was called back due to pass interference.
The refs reversed the call after further discussion. pic.twitter.com/3BkqP1jiXB— ESPN (@espn) October 20, 2024
Then the play got even more controversial.
Roughly four minutes after the play happened, officials announced that no pass interference had occurred and instead of Georgia retaining the ball, Texas would have possession. As you can imagine, that made Georgia head coach Kirby Smart absolutely livid. It’s nearly impossible to imagine another time where it took nearly five minutes to figure out a pass interference call. Even if you agree that the penalty should never have been called in the first place.
Several media members have requested a statement on the pass interference reversal from the SEC office.
One is likely to be provided only after the completion of the game when, presumably, a pool reporter meets with the head official.— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 20, 2024
It was a decision that had a massive impact in the moment. Two plays after the call was reversed, Texas scored a touchdown to cut Georgia’s lead to 23-15 after entering the second half down 23-0.
Ultimately though, the Bulldogs would hold onto their lead and come away with 30-15 win.
Smart was still mad about the call after his team's win during a postgame interview with ESPN.
“I’m so proud of these guys, because nobody believed, nobody gave us a chance,” Smart said in his postgame interview on ABC/ESPN. “Your whole network doubted us. Nobody believed us. And then they tried to rob us with calls in this place and these guys are so resilient.”