Michigan State linebacker Riley Bullough is a good player. I don’t know him, so I can’t say anything about his usual discipline or self-control. But he exhibited some less-than-stellar discipline and self-control on Saturday.
A Michigan State linebacker took 3 personal fouls in 11 minutes and got thrown out for targeting
Time to chill out, honestly.
The Spartans are playing Maryland in College Park. Bullough got thrown out of the game with more than four minutes left to play in the first quarter, when he hit Maryland’s D.J. Moore with the crown of his helmet and drew a targeting call.
That’s a well-deserved ejection. Bullough got caught launching headfirst into his opponent’s head with the crown of his helmet, which you can’t do. Whether the receiver was defenseless or not doesn’t matter.
Here is the extraordinary thing about this, though: That was Bullough’s third personal foul of the first 11 minutes of the game! In fact, it was his second in two plays, as he’d just gotten a flag for roughing the passer on the play right before his ejection.
This one wasn’t the worst play you’ve ever seen, but it’s surely illegal. It was late and unneeded, even though Maryland QB Perry Hills wasn’t in real danger.
Earlier in the first quarter, Bullough hit a Maryland receiver who was already well out of bounds. That, indeed, was another 15-yard personal foul.
Bullough’s passion for hitting people is an admirable trait that should serve him well. But he had absolutely no chill on Saturday, and it cost the Spartans 45 yards and their starting Mike linebacker.
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