Carson Beck on Georgia's approach to Horns Down taunt: 'We'll stay away from that one'

Carson Beck won’t be doing any “Horns Down” gestures when Georgia plays Texas this coming season. It seems like that’s the program-wide feeling for the Bulldogs.

Georgia heads to Austin on October 19 to take on Texas in what could be the most anticipated game of the season at that point. But don’t expect the one celebration that Longhorn fans hate.

Beck is simply excited to go to a new environment against a new SEC foe.

“I think Coach Smart would be upset if we did that, we’ll stay away from that one,” Beck said Tuesday at SEC Media Days in Dallas. “We do have them on the schedule, I’m very excited to play against them. I’ve never been there before. … So, very excited. Obviously they’re a very talented team and obviously we have a tough schedule. We have some big road games against some really talented teams in cool environments. I’m always excited to go on the road and experience someone else’s environment.”

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey didn’t comment on the “Horns Down” penalty earlier this month but SEC Coordinator of Officials John McDaid confirmed that Horns Down will not be considered unsportsmanlike conduct in most instances.

“Unsportsmanlike conduct needs to fit one of three categories: Is it taunting an opponent? Is it making a travesty of the game? Is it otherwise compromising our ability to manage the game?” McDaid said Tuesday morning. “There’s a difference between a player giving a signal directly in the face of an opponent, as opposed to doing it with teammates celebrating after a touchdown or on the sideline. To net all that out, every single occurrence is not an act of unsportsmanlike conduct.”

Not only that, according to Chris Vannini of The Athletic, “Horns Down” has not been included in EA College Football 25. Something rival fans of the Texas Longhorns, specifically Oklahoma, use on a regular basis, you will not see any of it in the upcoming video game.

“I’ve been told that Horns Down will NOT be in the video game,” Vannini said via X. “Only hand signals for your own team.”

On the flip side, Texas fans in crowds will be seen doing the traditional Hook ‘Em Horns, something thousands of Longhorns flash during typical game days. Whether it’s at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the Cotton Bowl, or an opposing stadium — the hand signal is a staple at Texas games.

So “Horns Down” won’t be coming from the Heisman favorite Beck, or any Georgia player for that matter. We’ll see for sure come this fall.