Penalties didn't cost the ballgame (I feel obliged to throw that in as a disclaimer to every post about officials around this place, because someone will jump on it
), but Tennessee just couldn't get the benefit of the doubt on any calls in the first half.
All of UT's penalties were deserved, but there wasn't much consistency. UT was flagged for PI, but the exact same calls on UGA were not made. UT was flagged for holding, but the exact same calls on UGA were not made. Well, until the fourth quarter when they called about 45 straight holds. Georgia was holding the entire game and getting by with it.
I've never seen so many Power T visors flying out of the upper deck as when the pass interference call wasn't made in the third quarter. It was questionable...the ball was probably uncatchable and there wasn't a lot of contact. But by that point, so many PI penalties had been missed against UGA that you couldn't blame anyone for being irate. I kinda wanted to throw my own hat.