The Official Forum - Unsportsmanlike (taunting) or not?

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- - Unsportsmanlike (taunting) or not? (https://forum.officiating.com/football/28336-unsportsmanlike-taunting-not.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Opie

I attended a college game Saturday night. A kid returned a punt for a touchdown. He was well ahead of K pursuing him and dived into the EZ, which drew a flag from the R. Then the kid proceeded to run past the opposing bench taunting them as he ran by, drawing a second USC flag.

Then I loved what the R said when he got on the mic " There are two dead-ball unsportsmanlike conduct fouls on number 21 of the return team. He has therefore disqualified himself from the game. The penalties will both be assessed on the kickoff."

After the successful try from the 3, they kicked off from their own 10 after the two USCs were marched off.

I'm a Fed guy and not real familiar with college rules so I'm not sure if this all was right, but I liked the R indicating that the player had disqualified himself and not that he was just ejected or we ejected him.

2 USC = ejection in a FED game, too.

And he would've drawn them from me.

A dive like that into the end zone withnobody within 5 yards? Flag. Everytime.

REPLY: In the play you originally described (runner five yards ahead of the pursuing B players), I would flag it--no question. Clearly nothing more than an attempt to focus attention on himself.

Sounds good to me Opie.
Had a JV (NCAA) intersquad game yesterday where a blocked TRY was returned 97 yards for an apparent score but the team-B player dove in from about the 3 yard line for his UC foul.

I'm sure his coach let him know later, but the poor guy didn't get credit for the score because one of his not so smart team-B players committed a block in the back about 10 yards behind him when he was around the 20. Dumbest time for block if I ever saw one. He had a clear lane for the score without the block.

[QUOTE=parepat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ref inSoCA

Why was there discussion?

There was discussion because the rule or case books do not specifically set out this act as a foul.

Second, because the act that the player did was one that derived the word that we use to describe a score. (IE touching the ball down in the end zone to score ....or touchdown) some of us thought it curious that this very act is now considered by some as USC.

If you call an USC everytime a player dives into the end zone, in my opinion is over officious and disregards the language of the rule which requires us to make some subtle judgments.

That is why we discussed it.

Perhaps I should have been more clear.

If a runner dives to avoid a tackle that's OK.

If the runner is all alone and he dives in to the EZ from the 2 or 3 yard line it's a foul EVERY TIME.