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SportsCasting
SportsCasting
Dan Girolamo

Watch: Georgia Player Parker Jones Accidentally Hit Ref

If you didn’t know the name Parker Jones, every Georgia fan knows it now after he committed a penalty during the first half of the Sugar Bowl.

Watch: Parker Jones Runs Into Referee

Jones is a redshirt sophomore walk-on cornerback on Georgia’s football team. Although Jones did not suit up for the game, he did wear his No. 39 jersey.

In the second quarter, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton completed a long pass to Arian Smith. As Arian Smith was running down the sidelines, Jones illegally stepped into the white area on the sidelines reserved for the officials.

The sideline official ran into Jones, triggering a 15-yard penalty against Georgia. The Bulldogs would have had 1st-and-10 at the 11-yard line. Instead, the Bulldogs moved back 15 yards to the 26-yard line.

“No. 39 runs right into the official; he slows him down,” ESPN analyst Greg McElroy explained on the broadcast. “That’s what ultimately causes the penalty. You have to stay out of the white part. That is the officials’ area. They own that white part of the sideline. You usually have a get-back coach, and that time, a big 15-yard penalty.”

The drive ended in a field goal for the Bulldogs.

Was It A Good Call?

According to ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin, the refs made the right decision to flag Georgia for sideline interference.

“If there’s contact, [you have to flag it],” Matt Austin said on the broadcast. “As Greg [McElroy] said, it’s dangerous down there. He’s running full speed to keep up with the play to get a good spot. And if something gets in his way, there’s a collision; it’s extremely dangerous. So, yeah, that’s a good call.”

The internet had a field day at Jones’, with many users on X joking that the Georgia walk-on might not be on the team to start the second half.

Georgia’s team website crashed due to the high amount of searches for Jones’ bio.

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