The Texas football program took on arguably its most challenging early matchup of the 2024 season against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday. The Longhorns battled hard under the leadership of Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning but took a 30-15 defeat. Texas fans were not happy with the way the game was being officiated, and they caught attention during the second half.

One of Texas' defenders intercepted a ball during the third quarter but the ruling was initially called back. Fans were in disbelief at the call and retaliation, they began throwing trash onto the field, as shown by ESPN on X (formerly Twitter):

After having a discussion, the officials reversed the call. The altercation was indicative of the type of night the Texas football squad was having.

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Texas trailed Georgia 20-0 at halftime, and just before that point, the team benched Quinn Ewers in favor of Arch Manning. Ewers had totaled just 17 yards and one interception up to that point. Ewers eventually found some rhythm, but it was not enough to bring the Longhorns back. He ended the night with 211 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas will continue to have an ongoing position battle between Ewers and Manning. But Steve Sarkisian gave both players credit in late October.

“I give both those guys a lot of credit on how they handled it,” Ewers said. “I think Arch is Quinn’s biggest supporter, and when Arch was playing I think Quinn was his biggest supporter. That’s a really cool sign of a great team, and the teammates they are and the way they support one another. It’s not easy when the backup goes in and he might get a louder ovation than you get as the starter. It just is what it is but I think the acknowledgment of that and understanding the situation, those guys supporting one another has been huge.”

Seeing how things go as Texas football navigates its midseason challenges will be interesting.