AUSTIN, Texas — The rematch between Texas and Georgia in the SEC championship game on Saturday will have to go down without one important fan in attendance, Bevo XV.
The last time Bevo and Uga were in the same stadium was at the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2019. An hour before the game, the Texas mascot toppled his barricade and charged toward the bulldog. No one was injured and Bevo XV was quickly restrained.
Bevo’s handlers–a student organization known as the Silver Spurs–have disputed claims that the longhorn steer was going after Uga X, who died at the age of 10 in January 2024.
One handler told the Associated Press at the time that Bevo was just agitated about being restrained and wanted to walk around. They said it was simply a case of Uga X being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The two mascots were eventually able to take pictures together once the situation calmed down.
The entire incident was captured on video and quickly became a viral sensation on social media. Now, every time the two teams meet on the gridiron, the video resurfaces with commentary on whether the two beloved mascots will get to meet again.
Nevertheless, it looks like Bevo XV won’t get a redemption arc this year.
When Georgia visited Texas in October, Uga XI–the son of Uga X–did not attend. The young bulldog’s owner told Dawg Nation that the trip was too far to make, as Uga XI hasn’t ever traveled on a plane or the team bus before, and “he is really young and immature and crazy as hell.”
Now Uga XI will be in attendance and Bevo XV won’t be making the trip to Atlanta. ESPN is reporting that Southeastern Conference officials denied permission for the longhorn to attend due to a lack of space.
“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 SEC said in a statement to ESPN. “The reality is there is limited sideline space at the stadium. 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 XV is credited as being the biggest live mascot in college football, coming in at over 1,700 pounds with a horn span of 58 inches, and requires a fair amount of space for his enclosure.
Longhorn fans can only hope that Bevo XV will be back on the field for the College Football Playoff. But if Texas makes it to the national championship game, Bevo could again be rebuffed since this year’s game is being hosted at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
