Colin Simmons Apologizes for Inappropriate Celebration in Texas' Win vs. Tennessee

Texas Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons put together a Heisman-worthy performance in Saturday's 20-17 win over Tennessee in Knoxville.

No. 1 Texas survived a late scare from the No. 14 Volunteers thanks to a career-high five sacks from Simmons, who tied the program single-game sack record in the process.

However, before erupting in the second half, Simmons went viral for the wrong reasons due to an inappropriate celebration that drew an unsportsmanlike conduct flag on a day where Texas had 11 penalties for 115 yards.

The official ruled that Simmons "simulated using the restroom" after pretending to pee on the field after sacking Tennesee quarterback Faizon Brandon.

Colin Simmons: "I Apologize For The Celebration"

Texas Longhorns defensive end Colin Simmons (1) speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Simmons spoke with reporters after his five-sack performance and publicly apologized for the celebration

"Also I do want to say I apologize for the celebration," Simmons said. "I was definitely in that mode, feeling myself, but you know it happens. ... Next play mentality. We don't harp on that."

Simmons made a mistake, but it's one he can learn from. It's much better to learn in a win than from a loss.

The taunting penalty didn't end up costing Texas. Simmons quickly made everyone forget about it with one of the best individual performances you'll see in college football this season.

What Steve Sarkisian Said About Colin Simmons' Celebration

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on before the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters after the game that they took Simmons out briefly following the celebration before putting him back in.

Sarkisian made it clear that Simmons made a mistake but noted it's a learning lesson for both him and the team.

"Can't happen. That's a bad football play," Sarkisian said. "We had harped and talked about this game about not getting emotional with the crowd and that was an emotional play. A couple others that were close too. We had a real talk about it at halftime about how we needed to play in the second half, we needed to celebrate with one another."

"We took him out, we addressed it, and put him back in," Sarkisian continued. "I mean, at that point, I'm not going to give the guy the death penalty over an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, we got to fix it though. That can't continue as we move forward. As I touched on with the team in the locker room, we'll address that on Monday and what that looks like and and how to control our emotions in the best way/ I know guys are excited when they're making plays. The best thing you can do is go celebrate with a teammate. ... It's about the team and focus on the team, and not so much look at me. And so we'll try to improve upon that."

Despite all of that, the five sacks from Simmons is what deserves the most attention.

"But five sacks was pretty cool today, too," Sarkisian said.

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