Pass interference or no pass interference? That’s the question that plagued No. 1 Texas against No. 5 Georgia late in the third quarter.
Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron intercepted Carson Beck and returned the ball inside the Georgia 10-yard line. But a flag was thrown on the play and after a brief discussion, the officials ruled Barron should be flagged for pass interference on Arian Smith.
It was a very, very controversial call, as Smith was the one who initiated the contact with Barron.
Texas fans were unhappy and threw objects on the field. The game was apparently postponed due to the debris on the field, and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian even walked to the student section to calm the fans down.
Texas fans threw debris on the field after an interception was called back due to pass interference.
The referees reversed the call after further discussion. pic.twitter.com/3BkqP1jiXB
— ESPN (@espn) October 20, 2024
Then the piece became even more controversial.
About four minutes into the play, the officials announced that no pass interference had occurred and that instead of Georgia keeping the ball, Texas would have possession. As you can imagine, that absolutely infuriated Georgia coach Kirby Smart. It’s almost impossible to imagine another time when it took almost five minutes to figure out a pass interference call. Even if you agree that the punishment should never have been imposed in the first place.
It was a decision that had a huge impact. Two plays after the call was overturned, Texas scored a touchdown to cut Georgia’s lead to 23-15 after entering the second half on a 23-0 lead.
