Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons turned a huge play into a costly one Saturday night, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a sack of Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon in the No. 1 Longhorns’ 20-17 win at No. 14 Tennessee.
The penalty came in the first half after Simmons finished the second sack of what became a career-best five-sack performance. Right after dropping Brandon on third down, Simmons mimicked urinating on the field, and the flags came out immediately. On the broadcast, the referee said Simmons was penalized for “simulating use of the restroom,” and the call extended Tennessee’s drive before Texas still went to halftime up 10-3.
Afterward, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said the staff handled it in the moment.
"We took him out, we addressed it and we put him back in," Sarkisian said after the game. "At that point, you know what I mean, I'm not going to give the guy the death penalty over an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
We've got to fix it, though. That can't continue as we move forward."
The moment immediately drew attention on the broadcast. Kirk Herbstreit called it "Just an absolute idiotic move by Colin Simmons doing that," and Chris Fowler added, "yeah, it's idiotic, and it doesn't get much more vulgar, either."
The celebration drew a quick comparison to former Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore, who simulated urinating on a fire hydrant like a dog during the 2019 Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.
College football’s officials have made unsportsmanlike conduct a bigger point of emphasis this season, with taunting and other actions aimed at an opponent now getting flagged more aggressively. The rules committee also clarified a short list of automatic unsportsmanlike fouls this offseason, including gun violence gestures such as “brandishing” a weapon, throat slash or nose wipe gestures, players removing their helmet, dead-ball contact fouls like pushing or shoving, and pushing or pulling an opposing player off the pile after the ball is dead.
And now, the list includes “simulating using the restroom” as well.
Texas entered the game as the nation’s top-ranked team after beating Ohio State two weeks earlier, while Tennessee came in unbeaten and ranked No. 14 under Josh Heupel. The Longhorns’ win gave them a pair of top-15 victories, something no other team in college football has this season.
"We're used to this environment. We're used to this arena.
We win big games. We do," Sarkisian said in the aftermath.
Texas still has seven ranked teams left on its schedule, and Sarkisian made clear he wasn’t interested in apologizing for surviving a road test like this one.
"That is why I say I am not going to apologize for winning on the road vs. a top 15 team, when other teams don't even play them," Sarkisian said.
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