"I've seen them try, never seen it work": Lane Kiffin has hilarious reaction to question over fans throwing bottles to change calls on field
Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin is the latest to chime in on the controversial call reversal in the third quarter of the Georgia Bulldogs vs. Texas Longhorns last week in Austin.
Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck's pass was picked and returned to Georgia's nine-yard line by Longhorns safety Jahdae Barron. But a flag was called for defensive pass interference on Barron, resulting in Texas fans throwing bottles and debris on the field.
After five minutes of review, the call was changed, and the defensive pass interference was overturned to a successful interception by Barron. Since then, many, including Georgia coach Kirby Smart, have blamed the call reversal being influenced by fan behavior in Austin.
In a press conference, Lane Kiffin was asked to give his two cents on the same. The Rebels coach had a hilarious take:
"I've seen them try, and I've never seen it work," Kiffin told reporters. "So, yeah, that would have, I would have really struggled with that happening. So, but I think the coach was very vocal about that. And, yeah, that would have been really, really tough to deal with."
SEC fines Longhorns, Georgia coach rips into officials
The unacceptable act from Longhorns fans led the SEC to fine the University of Texas $250k after the incident caught fire on social media.
Despite Georgia registering a convincing 30-15 win, including 23 unanswered first half points, Kirby Smart wasn't happy with the way the call was overturned, as he thought that it had something to do with fan behavior.
"I won't comment because I want to respect the wishes of the SEC office," Smart said.
"But I will say now we have 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."
However, the SEC found the final call correct, stating:
"The game officials gathered to discuss the play, which is permitted to ensure the proper penalty is enforced, at which time the calling official reported that he erred, and a foul should not have been called for defensive pass interference."
Apart from the $250K fine, the Longhorns program has been asked to ban the fans involved in the act.