Steve Sarkisian on controversial pass interference reversal vs. Georgia: 'In the end, they got it right'

Texas lost their No. 1 ranking after suffering their first loss of the season on Saturday to Georgia. A 30-15 game that had plenty to talk about afterward following one of the most controversial calls in recent college football history.

In the third quarter with the Longhorns down 23-8, Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron intercepted a pass and returned it to the Georgia nine-yard line in a major momentum-swinging play. A play that was called back for a defensive pass interference followed by fans in DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium littering the field with trash, the referees reconvening, and eventually reversing the call.

“I think in the end, they got it right. And how they got to that point, I don’t know exactly (how) they conferred on that thing,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said on Monday. “But I think they got the call right and I think that’s all we want when we’re playing the game is consistency as coaches, and then getting calls correct, and I think they got the call correct.”

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and others expressed their frustration with the decision. Claiming that a precedent has now been set that fans can throw things on the field, endangering athletes in the process, and potentially get a call reversed.

Texas fans threw bottles, cans, and other debris onto the field in a moment that many in Austin were not proud of. Including Sarkisian after taking the field in the middle of the littering to gesture to fans to stop. But the head coach was proud of the aftermath of the situation, highlighted by a quick cleanup and a joint statement made by University of Texas decision-makers.

“I appreciate Chairman Eltife, and President Hartzell, CDC (Chris Del Conte) releasing the statement. I know that we’ve got a passionate fan base and I think that showed Saturday night, and I think we’re all a little upset in that moment,” Sarkisian said. “I just think that we’ve all got to use a little better discretion in moments like that, that we don’t want that to be the narrative that that’s what DKR is all about.”

“I’ll say this, I really appreciate our support staff for getting that thing cleaned up as quickly as they did so that we could get the game back moving,” he added. “It was too good of a football game for that to be the focal point of it all.”

Texas was fined $250,000 by the SEC for the incident, but it will definitely be interesting if further action is taken regarding new rules and regulations to prevent a similar occurrence from happening in the future for college football.