There it was, lying on the 30-yard line at DKR. A lone beer can.
As a Texas Longhorns staffer trotted out to midfield to clear the can from the field, the unrest that was the Texas faithful took over. And a beer can shower changed the fate of the Texas vs. Georgia game.
Beer Can Shower Changes Call In Texas’ Favor
Let me rewind a bit, for those uninitiated.
The beer can, lying innocently on the ground as ESPN zoomed into it turned sideways and crunched on the grass, was thrown onto the field by a disgruntled Texas fan. It was thrown as an objection to a horrendous call made on the field by the referees.
What was the call, you ask? Well, it was set to change the game in a dramatic way had it been upheld, but it was the wrong call.
On the previous play, Georgia QB Carson Beck had thrown what looked like an ugly interception. Beck eyed down a hitch route at the sticks to his intended target, Arian Smith. However, Texas CB Jahdae Barron easily intercepted the ball, as it was clear Smith and Beck weren’t quite on the same page.
The call on the field was that Barron had held onto Smith at the stem of his route, subsequently removing the interception from the play sheet and setting Georgia up with a first down with just a bit more than three minutes left in the third quarter.
However, the replay clearly showed that Smith initiated contact with Barron, and Barron did nothing wrong, it appeared.
And that replay was played for all the Texas fans in attendance.
You better believe you know where this is going. At first, just one objection came from the stands. Middle fingers were visible and the ever famous ‘bulls**t’ chant was heard on the broadcast.
But then, at the 30, a lone beer can.
And soon thereafter, more beer cans. From the student section, from the alumni section, from everywhere.
Surely there were other things thrown down, but the lone beer can started it all. It may have gone on even longer had it not been for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian imploring his student section to stop hurling projectiles onto the field.
Usually, though, these beer can showers mean nothing but a stoppage in play. Sometimes, it even lands the home team a penalty.
But in the case of the Texas vs. Georgia game, the stoppage in time gave the referees a chance to have a conversation at midfield about the previous play. Though they didn’t do any video reviewing of a formal capacity, it was clear they had heard enough from the stands and seen enough beer cans on the ground to at least talk about it some more.
And after further communication, the call was reversed.
“After discussion, there was no defensive pass interference,” was the new call on the field, and Texas would take over at the nine-yard line.
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Two plays later, Texas made it a one-possession game thanks to a 17-yard Quinn Ewers to Jaydon Blue pass. But in reality, the real reason the ‘Horns made it a game, was because of the beer can shower.
And that beer can shower wouldn’t have happened without that lone beer can at the 30.
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