SEC Slaps Texas With Massive Fine After Fan Behavior Saturday Night

The Texas Longhorns gained a slight advantage on Saturday night when their fans threw water bottles and objects onto the field at Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium.

There was a game delay of several minutes in the third quarter while the debris was cleaned up. Officials used the extra time to reverse a questionable pass interference penalty on a Texas interception of Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.

The overturned call gave Texas the ball at the Georgia 9-yard line, and the Longhorns would score a touchdown two plays later on a Quinn Ewers touchdown pass to cut the lead to 23-15.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart ranted about the call after the game, accusing the officials of trying to rob his team of a victory. Athletic director Josh Brooks posted on X that he would "challenge" the SEC's office on the reversed call. (Officials are not allowed to review pass interference calls on the field.)

"However, I will challenge the conference office on what happened and how it happened in the manner it did," Brooks wrote . "Thankfully this did not cost our young men a hard fought win.

"Disagreeing with a singular call is natural and will happen several times in every football game. I can accept that. What I cannot accept is the manner in which this specific call was reversed. The official claimed he erred in the call. My question is when did he realize the error?"

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, the conference is imposing a $250,000 financial penalty and is forcing the school to use technology to find the persons who threw objects onto the field.

"SEC announces Texas will be assessed a financial penalty of $250,000 and also “required to use all available resources, including security, stadium and television video, to identify individuals who threw objects onto the playing field or at the opposing team," Thamel posted on X.

While the reversed call was costly for Georgia during the game, the manner in which it came to be reversed will set back Texas after the contest. Punishment could be coming for individuals if the school can identify who threw the objects.

Related: Paul Finebaum Has Brutal Reality Check For SEC Team After Saturday's Loss