One Foot Inbounds: Excessive Celebration Calls are ... Excessive

by Robert Weintraub

Why does any kid play football? Maybe there is parental or peer pressure for some, but I like to think that most get into the game to have fun. And while the number of people who take college football far, far too seriously is depressingly high, most kids who play are still in it for the fun of the game.

Which is why I’ve always hated celebration penalties. Sure, there is a line after which celebration becomes taunting, I suppose. But of the many "excessive celebration" penalties that I have seen called this season, maybe, maybe, one was just rubbing it in the opponent’s face. The rest have merely been properly expressed joy at scoring or preventing a score.

Which brings us to the LSU-Georgia game. You probably saw or heard what happened -- Georgia’s superstar sophomore receiver A.J. Green made a spectacular catch for the go-ahead score in a taut, extremely emotional contest played in one of the sport’s loudest venues. Georgia led 13-12 with about a minute to play. But Green was penalized 15 critical yards for doing what came naturally -- celebrating with his teammates while Sanford Stadium went ballistic. There was no taunting, no "dig me," no obscene gestures. Just pure joy.

Kicking off from its own 15-yard line, Georgia allowed a long return by LSU’s Trindon Holliday. Two plays later, Charles Scott busted a few tackles and ran in from 32 yards away for the real game-winner. He too, after jumping up and down with his teammates, was called for excessive celebration. The referees seemed determined to be noticed. It wasn’t necessary -- thanks to the game’s umpire and the biggest, beefiest striped shirt I have ever seen, they couldn’t go unnoticed.

Down here in the Dirty South, many dyed-in-the-wool Georgia fans believe SEC refs have been directed to toss flags whenever a Bulldog player so much as claps his hands, a direct result of the all-in celebration in the Georgia-Florida game from 2007 (after Georgia's first score, the entire team poured into the end zone to celebrate). Those of us who don’t see black helicopters hovering above Athens think it is simply enforcement of a bad rule.

So here’s a modest suggestion: If the NCAA competition committee is so worried about showboating and potential taunting, keep the rule in place. But reduce the penalty to five yards. That still sends a message that coaches will enforce in meetings, but it doesn’t affect a game so dramatically in the final minutes, as happened Saturday. Such a tense and hard-fought ballgame shouldn’t be remembered for a dubious call.

Give LSU credit. The Bayou Bengals proved to be a better survive-and-advance squad than their hosts. LSU has found ways to win for the last two weeks, perhaps a result of CBS executives putting their voodoo dolls to good use. Now next Saturday’s prime time battle in Death Valley with Tim Tebow, er, No. 1 Florida, carries major juice.

Unlike Georgia, Miami didn’t let a bad call cost them the game. Up 21-10 and partying like it was 2001 against Oklahoma, an inexplicable roughing the punter call gave the Sooners new life, and soon thereafter, a new number on the scoreboard. Just when it seemed Oklahoma would steal the game from the young Hurricanes, the unheralded Miami offensive line, led by A.J. Trump and Joel Figueroa, caved in Oklahoma’s defense, paving the way for a few first downs and a memorable clock-kill. Jacory Harris, out of the Virginia rain and restored to excellence, will get the glory for the key third-down conversion that sealed it, but it was the big uglies who really made it happen.

After a sloppy, near-disaster of a first half, Miami turned the game on a tremendous hit on the second half's opening kickoff. It was a blast reminiscent of the huge block [1] Jordan Futch threw on a punt return in the Georgia Tech game, only more important. The swagger is back on special teams, anyway. Two plays later, Brandon Harris had a sack-n-strip of quarterback Landry Jones, and The U immediately stuck it in the end zone to take its first lead.

Speaking of swagger, TCU was struggling with SMU when freshman linebacker Tanner Brock threw a huge block on special teams -- minus his helmet. Brock may have more gumption than gray matter, but that’s what makes winning football teams. Horned Frog Jeremy Kerley scored on the play, a 71-yard punt return, thanks to the bare-headed de-cleater, and TCU kept the Iron Skillet Trophy. (Who plays for the Huddle House, Florida International and Georgia Southern?)

Wisconsin’s John Clay is a nationally undersung back, but he gashed Minnesota for three scores, and the Badgers edged the Gophers in the smallish mammal battle, 31-28, to keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Remember, Jahvid Best went for five touchdowns on the ground in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago, proving ... something, I guess. Mainly, the Gophers need to work on their run keys. Paul Bunyan’s Trophy, as opposed to his Axe, stays with Sparty for another year, but please don’t blame Tate Forcier. Last week in this space I goofed on the Michigan quarterback's instant legend, but after his fourth quarter in East Lansing, I believe!

Despite a rain that would have crippled Noah’s offensive game plan, and despite thorough exhaustion, Forcier led the Wolverines on a breathless 13-play, 91-yard drive with no timeouts. On several occasions, Forcier was forcie-d to improvise due to bad snaps, but he always made a positive play despite the conditions, both in the air and on the ground. He capped the amazing sequence with a touchdown pass to Roy Roundtree with two ticks left. But a deflected interception in overtime likely prevented an on-field presentation of the Heisman Trophy to Forcier. Instead, MSU got to trot around the field with the Bunyan Trophy.

Unfortunately for the Spartans, that was too much celebration for the NCAA, so they will begin next season’s game with Michigan by kicking off from the 15-yard line.

Toedrags

• In the contest of Paul Bunyan Trophy vs. Paul Bunyan’s Axe, I used to side with the tree chopping implement. But I got a good look at the trophy after Michigan State earned it Saturday. Paul is depicted as a barrel-chested, hands-on-hips badass. The trophy itself could be flagged for excessive celebration in today’s atmosphere.
• With a Roundtree and a (Junior) Hemingway catching passes, there is barely enough room in Michigan’s receiving corps for more manliness, so perhaps it’s best they didn’t take home the Bunyan.
• I fully expected to wake up Sunday morning with the sun rising in the west. What other explanation is possible for Virginia and Maryland both winning impressively in conference on the same afternoon, other than the world spinning onto a different axis?
• Speaking of shockers -- UTEP? Seriously? The Miners got jacked by Texas last week, 64-7! Bevo even scored a touchdown on them. My crush on Houston goes unrequited. The Cougars beat OU and TTU, but can’t handle four-letter acronyms, apparently.
• Clemson’s C.J. Spiller: another week, another long touchdown (this one a kickoff return), another injury. He is the college version of Felix Jones.
• More ACC craziness -- North Carolina State quaterback Russell Wilson hadn’t thrown a pick in an NCAA-record 379 passes until Wake Forest's Josh Bush got one. Then, with the Wolfpack down six but threatening with two minutes left, he threw another interception in the end zone, and Wake won 30-24.
• Gene Chizik continues his impressive start -- Auburn gritted out a road win at Tennessee mainly by wearing down the valiant Volunteers defense, which gets zero support from quarterback/underminer Jonathan Crompton. All-American safety Eric Berry was begging the Tennessee offense to get a first down, for cripes sake, so he and his mates could get a blow. Auburn quarterback Chris Todd made several good throws under duress, Auburn’s wideouts blocked savagely, as usual, and War Eagle is unbeaten, and a factor in the SEC West -- more so than Ole Miss, two developments forecast before the season by Varsity Numbers gurus Connolly and Fremeau, I hasten to add. Rebels quarterback Jevan Snead is an All-American candidate and potential top draft choice? He looks like Norm Snead out there, and Norm turned 70 this year.
• Chizik wasn’t exactly welcomed to the Plains with open arms, but he was clearly missed at Iowa State -- the Cyclones seemingly forced overtime against Kansas State at Arrowhead Stadium with a late touchdown, but Emmanuel Lamur blocked the extra point, giving Kansas State a miracle win.
• Speaking of wild endings, Toledo and Ball State had one for the ages. With forty seconds left, Ball scored to cut Toledo’s lead to 29-28. They went for two, and made like Boise State by going for two and making it on a Statue of Liberty play. But the lead lasted all of 15 seconds, enough time for Aaron Opelt to find a (somehow) wide-open Stephen Williams for a touchdown bomb, and the Rockets won 37-30. Take away a whitewashing at the hands of Ohio State, and Toledo is averaging 42 points per game. Opelt and company are damn exciting to watch. Their battle with Central Michigan on Nov. 11 will likely decide the MAC West title.
• Speaking of conjuring a way to lose -- somehow, Florida State lost at Boston College, a result almost as shocking as ESPN Gameday’s decision to do the show from Chestnut Hill this week. Since October 15, 2005, when night FSU lost to unranked Virginia in CharlottesVegas, the Seminoles are 25-24 against FBS competition. A solitary game above .500 in a half-century worth of action. I’d say it was long past time for Burt Reynolds to step in and convince Bobby Bowden to hang up his dadgums, don’t you?

The OFI Top 25

Every week, Robert Weintraub participates in the CBS Blogpoll. This is a copy of his ballot.

[3]
Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida [4]
2	Alabama [5]
3	Texas [6]
4	Ohio State [7]
5	Virginia Tech [8]	1
6	Boise State [9]	1
7	Southern Cal [10]	2
8	Cincinnati [11]	2
9	Auburn [12]	2
10	TCU [13]	3
11	LSU [14]	4
12	Miami (Florida) [15]	2
13	Oregon [16]
14	Notre Dame [17]	2
15	Wisconsin [18]
16	Oklahoma [19]	8
17	South Carolina [20]	2
18	West Virginia [21]
19	Oklahoma State [22]	1
20	South Florida [23]	5
21	Iowa [24]
22	Stanford [25]
23	Brigham Young [26]
24	Georgia Tech [27]
25	Kansas [28]	3
Last week's ballot [29]

Lurking: Nebraska, Pitt, Ole Miss, Utah, Idaho