Longhorns Country

Bevo and Ben Herbstreit Meet Ahead of Texas Longhorns vs. Georgia

This time, Bevo was on his best behavior when meeting a prized canine.

Matt Galatzan

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit’s pet dog Ben sits on the field before a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit’s pet dog Ben sits on the field before a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images / William McLelland-Imagn Images
In this story:

AUSTIN - The last time Texas Longhorns mascot Bevo tried to meet a prized canine, it ended in near disaster.

However, this time, Bevo was on his best behavior.

Just before kick-off between the No. 1 Longhorns and the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs, Kirk Herbstreit's now famous golden retriever Ben made his way over to meet Bevo in the flesh.

And judging by the video, everything went a smoothly as could be expected.

Before the game, Herbstreit did indicate that he intended to introduce the two, but based on what happened with Uga and Bevo in the 2019 Sugar Bowl, he was obviously cautious.

“Depending on Bevo’s mentality that particular day, he was clearly motivated with Uga,” Herbstreit said. “I don’t know if Ben has that lateral quickness to get out of there, but I want to say hi during pregame. I’ll do Benny a favor, and keep him a safe distance from Bevo.”

Fortunately, everything went the way they wanted to, and two of the most famous animals in the sports world now appear to be buddies.

Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns In SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks with the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com for 247Sports. He then moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki, ex Longhorns Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, FOX News and former ESPN host Will Cain, as well as countless other recruits and former players for each of the teams he has covered. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

Home/News