In the first half of the SEC Championship, offense has been hard to come by for both the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs. But the Bulldogs have faced the greater struggle—managing just 56 passing yards and an astonishing minus two rushing yards.
Yet, the score remains razor-thin, separated by a mere field goal. The difference? Penalties. Texas has been flagged eight times for 80 yards, compared to Georgia’s two for 19. Heading into halftime, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was pointed in his frustration, calling out his team’s discipline issues as a key factor keeping the Bulldogs within reach.
Steve Sarkisian Extremely Critical of Officials in SEC Championship Game
As Texas head coach Sarkisian jogged off the field at halftime of the SEC Championship Game, ABC’s Laura Rutledge stopped him for his thoughts on the first half. He didn’t hold back.
Clearly frustrated by the officiating disparity, Sarkisian pointed to the six-penalty difference between the Longhorns and Georgia. Texas had been flagged eight times compared to Georgia’s two, and Sarkisian wasn’t shy about addressing it.
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When Rutledge asked, “Eight penalties in this first half; how do you get your team to clean some of that up?” Sarkisian delivered a pointed response.
“Well, hopefully, they call them [Georgia] for a holding one of these times, too,” he said, his tone firm and unmistakable. The remark seemed to briefly stun Rutledge before she transitioned to Holly Rowe, who was standing by with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.
Sarkisian’s frustration underscored the tight nature of the contest, where every call—and non-call—carries weight.
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While Texas may have a gripe with some of the flags thrown on its offense, its defense was more than guilty multiple times on Georgia’s final drive of the half. The Longhorns jumped twice at the end of the half, resulting in free plays for Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.
Beck took two shots, both of which were intercepted but overturned due to the Longhorns jumping offsides.
It will be interesting to see if Sarkisisan’s message to the officials was received as the SEC Championship Game shifts into the second half.
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