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ESPN rules analyst Bill LeMonnier calls out refs for roughing the passer call against Texas on Carson Beck

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•12/07/24•

ChandlerVessels

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Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

ESPN rules analyst Bill LeMonnier disagreed after Texas was called for roughing the passer in the first quarter of Saturday’s SEC Championship against Georgia. Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill was putting pressure on quarterback Carson Beck, who threw the ball away as he was hit.

Beck was called for intentional grounding on the play, while Hill received a roughing the passer penalty as the two flags offset. However, it looked as if Hill was already in the air before Beck let go of the ball, and many were left questioning the call.

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“I’m not a fan of that call,” LeMonnier said. “I think he’s just in there and he’s falling down. So him getting hit in the head, that was incidental.”

LeMonnier is a former Big Ten referee who was the lead official in the 2011 BCS national championship. So he knows what it’s like to work games on the big stage, such as this one, and his opinion is certainly noteworthy.

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Regardless, Texas had to move on from the roughing the passer call quickly and keep their minds focused on the game. It entered halftime with a narrow 6-3 lead in what has been a defensive battle to this point.

The Longhorns did a solid job of limiting Beck and the offense as they held the Bulldogs to only 54 yards in the first half and forced a turnover. Beck took another big hit toward the end of the half and was slow to get up, so that will be something to watch entering the third quarter.

Carson Beck injury update: Status revealed for 2nd half of SEC Championship

Carson Beck has been ruled out for the second half of the SEC Championship against Texas, Georgia coach Kirby Smart told ABC’s Holly Rowe. He suffered an apparent arm injury just before halftime, and Gunner Stockton will take over the rest of the way.

“Kirby Smart has told me that Carson Beck will be unable to return to this game,” Rowe said out of halftime. “They are not going to talk about the hand injury right now because they don’t know exactly what it is.”

Beck went to make one final throw before the break, but got hit as he threw. As the Longhorns and Bulldogs scrambled for the ball behind him, Beck stayed on the ground, holding his right arm.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.