Folks, the Alamo Bowl between Washington State and Iowa State is officially lit. Just halfway through the first quarter, there were three turnovers already. One of those included what looked like a pick-six from Wazzu cornerback Marcus Strong, but it was negated after he was flagged for taunting:
This Washington State pick-six was negated because the refs threw a dumb flag for taunting
Come on, man.
Instead of a touchdown off of the interception, the taunting penalty was enforced 15 yards from the spot of the foul. Wazzu still managed to score a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead, but this was still a pretty dumb penalty. Here’s what the NCAA rulebook says regarding taunting:
a) Pointing the finger(s), hand(s), arm(s) or ball at an opponent, or imitating the slashing of the throat.
(b) Taunting, baiting or ridiculing an opponent verbally.
(c) Inciting an opponent or spectators in any other way, such as simulating the firing of a weapon or placing a hand by the ear to request recognition.
(d) Any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player (or players) attempts to focus attention upon himself (or themselves).
(e) An unopposed ball carrier obviously altering stride as he approaches the opponent’s goal line or diving into the end zone.
Sure it looked like Strong could have been holding the ball out and looking back at an Iowa State player who was trying to catch him, but it really wasn’t clear who or even if he was taunting, so this is borderline at best. Even NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders agrees:
Let the man live, refs, it’s a college football game!
I’m not gonna stand on a soapbox here, but college football, and especially bowl games are a lot of fun for players, coaches, and fans. A smart proposal to alleviate future penalties such as this:
Your pick-six still stands in my (and Deion Sanders’) eyes, Strong!
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