Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons turned a huge play into a costly one Saturday night, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a sack that helped shape the No. 1 Longhorns’ 20-17 win at No. 14 Tennessee.
Simmons got to Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon for the second time in the second quarter, part of what became a career-best five-sack performance. Right after the takedown on third down, he made a gesture pretending to urinate on the field. The reaction was immediate: yellow flags everywhere, and Simmons looked stunned by the call.
On the broadcast, the referee explained that Simmons was penalized for “simulating use of the restroom,” and the penalty gave Tennessee a fresh chance to keep the drive alive before Texas eventually went into halftime with a 10-3 lead.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said the team handled it in the moment and moved on.
"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 move drew sharp criticism during the telecast. 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 penalty came in the middle of a season where officials are paying close attention to unsportsmanlike conduct and taunting. The rules committee updated the way those fouls are interpreted this offseason, with taunting always drawing a flag when it is directed at an opponent and interferes with the game.
Players can still celebrate together after a big play, but the automatic unsportsmanlike calls now include gun violence gestures such as "brandishing" a weapon, throat slash or nose wipe gestures, removing a helmet, dead-ball contact fouls like pushing, shoving or striking, and pushing or pulling an opposing player off the pile after the ball is dead. Simmons’ act now belongs on that list too.
Texas and Tennessee entered the game with plenty on the line in the rankings, with the Longhorns coming in at No. 1 after beating Ohio State two weeks earlier and the Vols unbeaten at No. 14 under Josh Heupel. Texas also became the first team in college football this season with a pair of top-15 wins.
Afterward, Sarkisian leaned into the significance of what his team did on the road.
"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 opponents left on its schedule, and Sarkisian made clear he wasn’t interested in apologizing for the win in Knoxville.
"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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