No room at the Benz, they say.
Bevo XV, the Texas live mascot that made news when it charged at Georgia’s live mascot in 2019, will not be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the SEC Championship game Saturday because of “space limitation,” according to the SEC.
ESPN reported that an enclosure large enough to house the mascot, who weighs nearly a ton with a horn span of almost five feet, was not feasible given the space available.
“We can’t jeopardize the safety of Bevo or the game participants,” an SEC spokesperson said. “With the narrow sidelines, location of multiple sets for television and camera carts, there is not enough space. While we want to honor tradition across the conference, the space limitation is a reality.”
Georgia’s live mascot, Uga XI (known as “Boom”), will be in attendance, according to his owner Charles Seiler. This will be Uga’s 12th trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Georgia’s bulldog requires an extremely small amount of space,” SEC associate commissioner Herb Vincent said, according to AOL.com.
Uga did not travel to Austin earlier in the season for the Bulldogs’ last game against Texas. The mascot also skipped the trip to Lexington, Kentucky.
Seiler noted that the quick turnaround time likely was a disadvantage for Ricky Brennes, executive director of the Silver Spurs Alumni Association, which is in charge of Bevo. Texas earned it’s spot in the SEC Championship game less than a week ago, with its win over Texas A&M.
The game between No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia, which holds significant weight for the final College Football Playoff rankings, kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday. Texas currently is a three-point favorite.
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