Texas apologizes to Georgia, officials and SEC for fan behavior - ESPN

Texas officials issued an apology on Sunday for fans throwing trash on the field following a controversial pass interference call in the No. 1 Longhorns' 30-15 loss to No. 5 Georgia on Saturday night.

«While we deeply appreciate the passion and loyalty of our fan base at The University of Texas at Austin, we do not condone the unsportsmanlike conduct that was exhibited by some individuals throwing objects onto the field during last night's game and sincerely apologize to the University of Georgia players, coaches, and fans, as well as the Southeastern Conference and officiating crew,» a statement from Texas Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife, UT president Jay Hartzell and athletic director Chris Del Conte said.

«This type of behavior will not be tolerated.»

Trailing 23-8 in the third quarter, Texas safety Jahdae Barron stepped in front of Georgia's Arian Smith and intercepted a pass, returning it 36 yards to the Georgia 9 and giving Texas new life. Officials called pass interference on Barron, however, and the 15-yard penalty was marked off.

Texas fans booed the call while watching multiple replays on the stadium's video board, and trash started streaming down onto the field from near the student section, stopping play for a few minutes. While Sarkisian walked all the way to the 10-yard-line to tell fans to stop, staff members and security cleaned up the bottles as officials conferred again and reversed the call.

The call was overturned after the stoppage, which raised concerns that the behavior actually helped the Longhorns.

«Now we've set a precedent that if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes that you've got a chance to get your call reversed,» Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the