It’s been a hot topic since West Virginia beat Texas 42-41 in Austin last November. Should the ‘Horns Down’ hand signal be penalized? Everyone’s favorite way to taunt Texas has led to some controversy regarding whether it should be flagged, and Big 12 Coordinator of Officials Greg Burks commented on it’s use as a celebration at Big 12 Media Days.
An explanation of how the @Big12Conference will call the “Horns Down” penalty from the coordinator of officials Greg Burks. @NBCDFW #Big12MediaDays pic.twitter.com/ElUICjoSKb
— Noah Bullard (@noah_bullard) July 16, 2019
In Burks’ estimation, showing a quick ‘Horns Down’ will not lead to a penalty as long as it is not shown to an opposing player or a section of fans. However, Burks countenanced that by saying a flag would likely be thrown if the ‘Horns Down’ was held up for an extended period of time or if it was directed at a group or individual.
The mocking hand gesture has been used by Texas’ Big 12 rivals for years, but a thrilling game against West Virginia last year saw ‘Horns Down’ somewhat overshadow the result. David Sills V was flagged for flashing it after a touchdown, and Will Grier was assessed a personal foul after taunting the Texas student section with it after running in a two-point conversion to win the game.
🔥👀 Sideline cam of Will Grier silencing the Texas crowd with game winning 2 point conversion + Horns down 🏈💀
(via @cfbonfox) pic.twitter.com/OEhfpJGc9y
— Fanatics View (@fanaticsview) November 4, 2018
Tom Herman was not happy about Grier celebrating before the score, and he definitely wasn’t happy when Grier showed ‘Horns Down’ following the two-point conversion attempt.
Tom Herman wanted Will Grier's winning score wiped out because he high-stepped across the line.
I wonder what Drew Lock would think about this newfound passion for the rigorous enforcement of taunting rules https://t.co/X5DEQRkWDT
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) November 4, 2018
It will be very interesting to see how officials react to the symbol this season. While Burks gave some clarification on when it should be flagged, it is still very much at the referee’s discretion, and there is plenty of room for interpretation.
You can be sure that multiple schools will be showing ‘Horns Down’ during 2019. The bad blood between Texas and its Big 12 rivals continues to rise, and fans of Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Texas Tech are going to create a frenzied atmosphere in their conference games.
H/T NBC Dallas Fort Worth
