So what’s more important:
Referees getting a call correct?
… or …
Referees not deviating from the set procedure to overturn a call, especially if it might reward bad fan behavior and thus incentivize future bad fan behavior?
What we do know is that Georgia defeated Texas, 30-15, on Saturday in Austin, but the post-game debate went far beyond the College Football Playoff chances of each team (although there is an angle to that in here).
The situation starts with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter, Georgia leading 23-8 but momentum suddenly with the Longhorns.
That’s when Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron intercepted a pass from Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. Barron returned it 36 yards to the Bulldogs’ 9-yard line.
The refs, however, threw a flag on the play, citing Barron for pass interference before the interception. UT fans vehemently disagreed, especially when replays on the video board showed that any contact appeared to be initiated by Georgia receiver Arian Smith.
The Texas student section, in particular, began throwing trash and bottles onto the field, leading to an extensive delay, while Texas coaches and officials pleaded for calm and then cleaned up the mess.
It was during this time period — caused by out-of-control fans — that referees huddled and, perhaps influenced by replays shown on the video board or the pleas from Texas coaches that the call was wrong, decided to pick up the flag.
It would be Texas ball after all. Two plays later the Longhorns scored to cut the lead to 23-15.
Now it was Georgia coaches and university officials who were seething, arguing that a bunch of bottle-throwing fans shouldn’t be able to cause the delay that led to the conversation that led to the reversal.
“What I cannot accept is the manner in which this specific call was reversed,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks stated. “The official claimed he erred the call. My question is when did he realize the error? If it was before the delay that occurred due to fans throwing objects on the field, what stopped him before the head official made the announcement and spotted the ball?”
The SEC didn’t answer Brooks’ question in a statement, it merely said the referees huddled and reversed the call. The delay seemingly helped though. The conference did issue a $250,000 fine to Texas for the incident. Texas also formally apologized and said it would ban fans that it could identify as culprits from future athletics events.
There’s a lot to unpack here and perhaps not as much consensus as you’d expect.
Start with the fact that the officials got the call correct in the end. Shouldn’t that be the goal? Is there a time limit on deliberation? Or does the end not justify the means — i.e. dangerous fan behavior?
“Now we’ve set a precedent that if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, you have a chance to get the call reversed,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.
Smart is correct. However, is that the job of the referees? Should possible fan behavior, let alone possible fan behavior in future games, impact their efforts to do the job as best as they can?
Shouldn’t that fall on the schools itself? They are in charge of security. Do we want refs considering anything other than what is the proper call or rule interpretation? The job seems hard enough.
As for stopping this kind of stuff, a fine from the conference likely means nothing — Texas is rich as hell and it’s not like the individual fans are paying that (unless Texas wanted to try to sue some of them). Banning perpetrators is a good start and may cause some future apprehension — everything is on camera inside stadiums these days.
Actually applying criminal charges wouldn’t be out of the question — chucking a bottle over (or into) a crowd would seemingly violate some statute. It’s been done at other venues.
Interestingly, the best thing to happen to Georgia (and the worst thing for Texas) is that the call was reversed.
Texas did get possession and did score, but Georgia brushed it off and still won convincingly. Had the officiating error stood, Texas would have shouted that the game was stolen by the refs.
In the past, that might not matter. A win is a win. However, in the era of the 12-team College Football Playoff, where the subjective decisions of the selection committee can determine not just who gets in, but where they are seeded and thus whether they host a playoff game or have to play on the road, a “controversial” victory/loss could conceivably be considered.
For Georgia, there is no perceived asterisk on their triumph. And for Texas, there is no “yeah, but” counter argument.
So the original call didn’t work out for Texas, then they pouted and misbehaved, and that bought enough time for it to work out, only in the end it didn’t work out and they lost anyway without being able to make a good excuse.
And the original call did work out for Georgia, then it didn’t, but eventually it did, yet they are still protesting, although in a far more appropriate manner than the Texas student section.
Meanwhile no one is certain whether getting it right, due to something wrong, should be allowed or not.
Fines. Statements. Anger. Banishments. Arguments.
Just another Saturday night in college football.
