Atlanta (AP) There won’t be another mascot matchup in the Southeastern Conference Championship game.
The league said that No. 2 Texas couldn’t bring its 1,700-pound longhorn Bevo XV to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta because there wasn’t enough room on the sideline.
Georgia, ranked fifth, will play the Longhorns in the championship game on Saturday.
The teams have two of the most well-known mascots in collegiate football. The much smaller Uga XI, Georgia’s pure white English bulldog, should have adequate room on the sidelines.
Bevo XV broke down his barrier and started charging at Uga X, the Bulldogs’ mascot that came before Uga XI, before to the 2019 Sugar Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans. Before the enormous beast could do any damage, Texas caretakers managed to draw Bevo back.
In Atlanta, that won’t be a problem.
SEC spokesperson Chuck Dunlap stated, “When we received the request for Bevo to be on the sideline in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, our staff looked at several alternatives, including the sideline location.” The stadium actually has a restricted amount of sideline space. We cannot risk endangering Bevo’s or the players’ safety.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium has field-level suits just behind the benches in addition to the packed sidelines.
According to Dunlap, there is not enough room because of the small sidelines and the placement of several television and camera cart sets. The conference has a limited amount of room, even though we wish to respect tradition.
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