UGA receiver squirted water on Tennessee QB. Penalty leads to Vols touchdown

Need water?

Georgia sophomore wide receiver George Pickens must’ve thought his opponent did. Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano was tackled on a 3-yard scramble by Jordan Davis. Suddenly, on a play that looked clean, a flag came flying.

Pickens was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after squirting water onto Guarantano’s back with a blue squeeze water bottle.

Pickens’ unique act of taunting led to a 15-yard penalty and the Volunteers were driving.

Tennessee the took a 21-17 lead over the Bulldogs with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Josh Palmer. It was Palmer’s second touchdown of the day, after he scored on a 36-yard pass on the previous drive.

The score remained 21-17 Vols at halftime.

Pickens has had his share of immaturity throughout his early years at Georgia. The water-related incident followed a fight in November 2019 against Georgia Tech, which led to an absence for the first half of the SEC Championship. After that incident, his Georgia teammates called Pickens out for his actions.

Entering the latest campaign, Pickens said he experienced growth after realizing the “value of the team.” His latest run-in with strange acts, however, put Georgia at a disadvantage against the Volunteers.

This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 5:18 PM.