The Texas Longhorns went to Athens on Saturday night looking for a statement win. They got one, just not the kind they had in mind.

Georgia buried Texas 35-10, turning a relatively competitive game into a full-blown embarrassment with a fourth-quarter avalanche.

And while the Longhorns have plenty of self-inflicted wounds to sort through, the conversation walking into halftime was less about blown coverages and more about blown calls.

From the opening Georgia series, edge rusher Colin Simmons looked like one of the few Longhorns ready for the moment.

He finished with three tackles and a sack, and he could've had more if the officials had apparently noticed what everyone on Texas X was screaming about.

On one early rush, a Bulldogs lineman practically put Simmons in a headlock on his way to Gunner Stockton. No flag.

Dalton Hill (@DaltonHill_4) on X The refs have called Texas for 3 holding penalties so far but somehow miss this against Georgia…

Texas, meanwhile, got tagged for three holding penalties of its own. Funny how that works.

Simmons didn't hide from the reality after the game, though. He called the fourth quarter a "disaster" and admitted Texas "didn’t finish" in any phase. Hard to pin that on the stripes.

The officiating frustration didn't stop there.

Trailing but still within shouting distance, Texas watched its lone turnover of the night come gift-wrapped to Georgia. On 3rd-and-4 from the Bulldogs' 31, Arch Manning fired high on a slant to DeAndre Moore Jr., and KJ Bolden gladly took the overthrow the other way.

A closer look showed Joenel Aguero draped all over Moore's back, causing him to stumble out of the break. A holding or illegal contact call would've extended the drive and likely led to points. Instead, it was another example for the Longhorns' growing "Georgia never holds" conspiracy file.

Then there was Anthony Hill Jr., one of the few bright spots in burnt orange.

Hill grabbed a pivotal interception in the third quarter that set up Texas' only touchdown, but earlier he was whistled for a soft holding call in the end zone against tight end Lawson Luckie.

What could've been 2nd-and-goal from the eight became 1st-and-goal from the four. Georgia, unsurprisingly, cashed in, with Stockton finding Noah Thomas for his second score. Even ESPN rules analyst Bill LeMonnier suggested the flag should've stayed in the pocket.

Were the calls lopsided at times? Sure. Were they the reason Texas got run out of the stadium in the fourth quarter? Not even close.

The Longhorns got mauled at the line of scrimmage, sputtered offensively, and completely unraveled when Georgia stepped on the gas late.

If Texas wants to pretend a few borderline flags swung a 25-point game, that’s their coping mechanism. The reality is much simpler ... and much harsher. In Athens, the officials weren't the problem. The scoreboard was.