When the Texas Longhorns head to Georgia for this weekend’s SEC championship game, one of their most iconic figures won’t be joining them.
The 11-1 Longhorns are set to battle it out with the 10-2 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday for both the league title and a first-round bye into this season’s playoffs.
Yet despite the size of the occasion, Bevo XV – Texas’ live mascot – will not be making the trip to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The 1,700-pound longhorn, who has burnt orange and white coloring to match the team’s famous strip, is not allowed to attend Saturday’s game as the arena does not have enough space to accommodate him.
Considering he has a 58-inch horn span, that explanation is certainly plausible.
‘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 reality is there is limited sideline space at the stadium,’ the SEC said in a statement.
Texas Longhorns mascot Bevo won’t be attending their huge game against Georgia on Saturday
Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium cannot accommodate the 1,700-pound longhorn this weekend
‘We can’t jeopardize the safety of Bevo or the game participants. 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.’
Bevo, who has carried on a Texas mascot tradition that began 108 years ago, produced a viral moment back in the 2019 Sugar Bowl when he charged towards Georgia’s former bulldog mascot Uga X on the sidelines.
The steer’s handlers, the Silver Spurs, told ESPN that Bevo is the ‘largest live mascot in college athletics.’
However, the Mercedez-Benz Stadium – home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons – does not have the capacity to fit him in safely.
‘We did everything we could to try to get him there and it just didn’t work out,’ Ricky Brennes, Bevo’s handler and the executive director of the Silver Spurs Alumni Association told A to Z Sports.
‘The SEC said they didn’t have enough space.’
Meanwhile Uga XI, Uga X’s successor, is expected to attend Saturday’s game in Georgia.
