Shane Beamer still thinks about how 'Tyler Simmons was onside'
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer spent two seasons on the staff at Georgia as a tight ends coach and special teams coordinator. During that time, one of the program’s biggest plays – and biggest what ifs – occurred, and Beamer played a part.
Alabama faced a 4th and 8 deep in its own territory on the first drive of the third quarter in the National Championship Game. Georgia held a 13-0 lead at the time with the Crimson Tide lining up to punt, and the Bulldogs had a plan: they were going to go after the punt.
Second-year wide receiver Tyler Simmons got past the Alabama protection and blocked the punt with ease. Georgia was set to take over with a chance to go up three scores. That is until Simmons was ruled offsides.
“If you ask anybody in Athens what, ‘Tyler Simmons was onside’ means, they know. Because In the National Championship game we had an Alabama punt. Kirby had come up with a plan to show this look when Alabama punts. We’re confident they will do this, and when they do this we’re gonna do that,” Beamer said on Tuesday when asked what one memory stands out from the rest from his time coaching special teams in Athens. “With Alabama’s protection scheme, we were gonna get a free rusher we felt like, and we did. Came completely clean and blocked a punt just like we had designed it to do. Unfortunately, the officiating crew — not an SEC crew, but the officiating crew absolutely blew the call.”
“I don’t want to say it cost us a National Championship but that was a significant play in the game that potentially cost us a National Championship game that night,” Beamer continued. “That blocked punt happens early in the second half and there probably isn’t an overtime. I’ve gotten past it as you can tell. It doesn’t bother me anymore. That was one, that was Kirby. We had a whole month to work on it and he was exactly right.”
Of course, Alabama would go on to win the game 26-23 in overtime on Tua Tagovailoa‘s 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. The freshmen duo connected on 2nd and 26 after a sack had set the Crimson Tide back to the UGA41, needing a field goal to tie and extend the game.
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Adding salt to the wound, Georgia would fall to Alabama once again later that same calendar year – this time with an SEC Championship on the line. Then, in 2020, the head official from the game admitted the mistake in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
“We had a miss. Alabama was on the ropes. They were deep in their own territory and they’re punting. The punt gets blocked. There’s a flag on the ground because the line judge had Georgia offside. Oh, boy. He (the player, Tyler Simmons) actually had a running start and timed it (properly). He wasn’t offside,” Big Ten referee Dan Capron said. “But that wasn’t my call. The blocking backs, a split-second before the snap, moved. That was a false start. That should have been my call. It still wouldn’t have been a blocked punt but instead a five-yard penalty against the offense. You never want to make a mistake of any kind in such a high-profile atmosphere.”
Since then, Georgia has gone on to win a pair of national championships – including one over Alabama in 2021. That eases the pain some, however, hearing Beamer reflect on the play certainly is sure to bring back memories for many at Georgia.
Georgia takes on Beamer’s South Carolina team this Saturday in Athens. Kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
