Texas fans can grumble about various aspects of Georgia’s 22-19 overtime win. But the fact is the Longhorns were their own worst enemy at times during the SEC championship game.

The Horns had a season-high 11 penalties — the second-most in coach Steve Sarkisian’s four years at UT — and continuously hurt themselves in key situations.

“Clearly the penalties were an issue in the first half where we stalled out on some things and for the in some third-and-longs and whatnot,” Sarkisian said.

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It started in the first quarter when Isaiah Bond was called for offensive pass interference after UT reached the Georgia 21-yard line. That led to a first-and-25 from the Georgia 36. The Horns were able to scrape together a field goal, but the offense was clearly en route to a touchdown.

Defensive back Malik Muhammad was called for defensive pass interference on second-and-11 when Carson Beck’s pass fell incomplete. That gave the Dawgs a free first down.

In the second quarter, Bond was called for holding on another promising drive. Texas was pushed back to first-and-17 at the Georgia 32 and had to settle for a 42-yard field goal.

Just before halftime, freshman Colin Simmons was called for being offsides on back-to-back plays. Believe it or not, Beck threw interceptions on both plays, but both were wiped away.

Heading toward the locker room, Sarkisian was clearly miffed about a perceived lack of calls on Georgia. He snapped at ABC’s Laura Rutledge. “Hopefully they call them for a holding one of these times, too.”

Defensive tackle Vernon Broughton was called for a personal foul when the Bulldogs were close to scoring in the third quarter. That gave Georgia a first-and-goal at the 4-yard line, which led to a field goal that gave Georgia a 13-6 lead.

One obvious call that went Texas’ way was the pass interference on Daylen Everette, who slammed into Ryan Wingo in the end zone on a pass attempt.

The Horns also caught a break when officials did not rule that safety Andrew Mukuba committed targeting on quarterback Gunner Stockton. His helmet shot off due to the force of Mukuba's blow. 

The handful of pre-snap penalties also made life more difficult. In close nail-biters like this, every little thing matters, especially inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

“I think the negative plays kind of hurt us when we got there,” Sarkisian said. “I think a couple of the penalties when we got down there hurt us, as well. You're playing behind the chains, which is never where you want to be in the red area.”