No. 5 Georgia defeats No. 1 Texas 31-27 for as much drama off the field as it does on: Longhorns fans tossed trash on the field and forced officials to stop the game multiple times in a game between two top-ranked college football teams.
Riots erupted in the last minutes of the third quarter when a disputable penalty against Texas triggered a ripple effect of irritation among the fans of the Longhorns. When Georgia was about to start a crucial drive, bottles, and trash started pattering the field, and the game was halted for nearly 10 minutes. Despite the warning from the announcers, incidences of riot continued sporadically during the final quarter.
Georgia, however, didn’t panic at all. The quarterbacks were great, particularly Carson Beck, who had 275 yards and three touchdowns for the Bulldogs. He had to concentrate despite all the hullabaloo to lead the Bulldogs to conquer the game.
Running back Kendall Milton contributed 120 yards on the ground, and the most important one came in late when he rushed 20 yards for a touchdown which sealed the win for Georgia.
Quarterback Quinn Ewers was having trouble getting into throwing rhythm against the stout, relentless Georgia defense, and he had two picks that beat the Longhorns. After that outstanding first half, when the Longhorns went into intermission ahead 21-17, they could not build on any momentum in the second half as Georgia’s defense stiffened and their offense capitalized on those turnovers.
However, much of the after-game talk was eclipsed by the disruption caused by the fans. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian came out forcefully against the part of Longhorns fans, saying, “That’s not who we are. We don’t condone that kind of behavior, and it’s disappointing that it overshadowed a tremendous game between two elite teams.”
Kirby Smart, the head coach for Georgia, respected his players’ tenacity about the hostile environment in which they played, calling it “a big win for our program,” he said.
With the win, Georgia helped its College Football Playoff hopes, but Texas will have to bounce back quickly from its first loss of the season. That said, some of the actions of Texas fans will only draw further scrutiny and possibly result in additional punishment against the university.
