Longhorns Country

Steve Sarkisian Sends Message to Texas Longhorns Fans After Bottle Throwing Incident

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about the fans throwing trash on the field against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday and was clear in his message.

Matt Galatzan

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walks over the student section to encourage them to stop throwing items on the field after a controversial call by the referees that was later reversed after a review in the third quarter of the Longhorns' game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Oct. 19, 2024.
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walks over the student section to encourage them to stop throwing items on the field after a controversial call by the referees that was later reversed after a review in the third quarter of the Longhorns' game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Oct. 19, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

The Texas Longhorns matchup vs. the Georgia Bulldogs was anything but boring.

It was a night filled with drama on the field, complete with quarterback changes, controversial penalties (and reversals of penalties) and constant momentum swings. Even the fans got involved themselves in the action.

But not in a good way.

In the second half following a controversial pass interference call on a Jahdae Barron interception - a call that was later reversed - the fans were enraged and began to throw trash on the field. The actions from the fans ended up causing a stoppage in play, and for head coach Steve Sarkisian to walk over to the student section in an attempt to put a stop to the incident.

Sarkisian was visibly upset with the situation at the time, and on Monday, sent a message to the fans during his weekly press conference, that it was not the way he wanted Longhorns fans or their stadium atmosphere to be perceived.

"I know that we've got a passionate fan base, and I think that showed Saturday night," Sarkisian said. "I think we all were a little upset in that moment. I just think that we've all got to use a little better discretion in moments like that. We don't want that to be the narrative; that that's what DKR is all about. It was too good of a football game for that to be the focal point of it all. I think in the end they got it [the pass interference call] right."

As a result of the incident, the Longhorns were fined $250,000 by the SEC. It also caused University of Texas President Jay Hartzell and even Longhorns super fan Matthew McConaughey to send separate statements to the fan base.

Longhorns fans will have plenty of time to digest Sarkisian's statement, as well as those of President Hartzell and McConaughey in the coming weeks, as they do not return to DKR until a Nov. 9 matchup against the Florida Gators.

Before that, they will travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt, followed by their second bye week of the season.

Kick-off for the next home game vs. Florida is set for 11 am.

Join the Community:

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @LonghornsCountryOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @LonghornsSI

Other Texas Longhorns News:

MORE: Texas Longhorns Reveal Safety Plan After Key Injuries

MORE: Michael Taaffe Flipping Texas Loss to Georgia into Opportunity

MORE: Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers Debunks False Rumors of Opting Out

MORE: Matthew McConaughey Calls Out Texas Longhorns Fans For 'Bottle Bombing' vs. Georgia

MORE: Texas vs. Vanderbilt Kick-Off Time Set: How to Watch & Betting Odds

MORE: 'Definition of Grit!' Texas Longhorns' Steve Sarkisian Impressed With Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia

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