Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons had one of the biggest individual nights of the weekend, and he also picked up one of the most unusual penalties you’ll see all season.
During the first half of No. 1 Texas’ 20-17 win at No.
14 Tennessee, Simmons was flagged after a second-quarter sack of Vols quarterback Faizon Brandon. It was the second sack in what became a career-best five-sack performance, but the celebration went too far: Simmons pretended to urinate on the field after bringing Brandon down on third down.
Yellow flags came flying immediately, and Simmons looked confused by the call. On the broadcast, the referee explained the penalty as “simulating use of the restroom,” which extended Tennessee’s drive before Texas eventually went into halftime with a 10-3 lead.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said after the game that the team handled the moment internally.
“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 play drew immediate criticism 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.”
Simmons’ gesture drew a 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.
The penalty also fit into a broader point of emphasis this season. College football officials have tightened up on unsportsmanlike conduct, especially taunting and actions meant to show up an opponent. The rules committee this offseason modernized how those fouls are interpreted and presented, and while players can celebrate together after a big play, certain actions are now automatic flags.
Those automatic unsportsmanlike fouls include gun violence gestures such as “brandishing” a weapon, throat slash or nose wipe gestures, players removing their 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. The new list now also includes “simulating using the restroom.”
Texas came into the game as the nation’s No. 1 team after beating Ohio State two weeks earlier, while Tennessee was unbeaten and ranked 14th under Josh Heupel. The Longhorns’ win gave them a pair of top-15 victories, something no other team in college football has this season.
Sarkisian said Texas is comfortable in that kind of spotlight.
“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.
“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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