Colin Simmons, the star edge rusher for No. 1 Texas, got hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a bizarre celebration against No. 14 Tennessee. After racking up one of his five sacks in their tight 20-17 win, Simmons decided to pretend he was, well, relieving himself on the field. Yeah, you read that right.
Coach Sarkisian Sounds Off on the “Look at Me” Culture
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t pull any punches after the game. He confirmed the coaching staff “addressed” the penalty with Simmons, but they weren’t about to give the guy “the death penalty” and bench him for the rest of the game over it. They took him out, talked, and put him back in. But Sarkisian made it crystal clear this kind of stuff can’t continue. He plans to hit it hard with the team on Monday, focusing on how to control emotions. He wants guys celebrating with teammates, not pulling individual stunts.
“Unfortunately in our society right now, we live at the look at me society,” Sarkisian said. He even called out social media and the rush for clicks as part of the problem. “We’ve got to get to it’s about the team and focus on the team and not so much look at me. And so we’ll try to improve on that.” He did add that those five sacks Simmons racked up were “pretty cool,” which, let’s be real, they were. Simmons also added three other tackles to his monster day. This wasn’t the only questionable celebration for Texas either, with Raleek Brown having his own moment after a touchdown that wasn’t flagged.
Simmons’ Five Sacks Still Locked Up the Win
Despite the penalty, Simmons’ impact on the game was massive. That five-sack performance was crucial in securing the 20-17 victory. It’s a good thing the Vols didn’t capitalize on the drive where Simmons was flagged either, going for it on fourth down only to have Faizon Brandon’s pass fall incomplete. The No. 1 Longhorns now get a week off in Week 5. They’ll need to clean up these celebration antics before their huge rivalry game against Oklahoma in Week 6. It’s gonna be interesting to see if that week off brings any new “celebration protocols” to the field.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply