Instant Analysis: BYU-Washington

In the aftermath of a stirring, hard-fought football game, one should be able to celebrate the efforts of two gallant groups of kids. Instead, the only thing that anyone can talk about is how the officials—and those in charge of college football’s new rules—affected the ultimate outcome.

If Ty Willingham gets fired at Washington for losing too many games, you’d have to put an asterisk beside this particular loss. By all rights, the homestanding Huskies should have sent this game into overtime, but an unconscionable act by the zebras enabled the game to finish prematurely.

In the year’s first truly big example of how celebration rules determined the result of an FBS contest, the officiating crew in Seattle flagged Washington quarterback Jake Locker after the dynamic swashbuckler scored a breathtaking touchdown with two seconds left in regulation time. Having converted a fourth down and a 2nd and 17 to keep his team’s hopes alive, Locker—on 3rd and goal from the 3—dove into the end zone to send Husky Stadium into a state of pandemonium. With the score 28-27, a standard-issue PAT was all that stood in the way of overtime… and a chance for Willingham’s boys to knock off a top-20 opponent to turn their season around. For this very reason, Locker threw the ball into the air as he joyfully celebrated with his teammates, as any young man should after coming through under pressure.

But because of the strict new rules of emphasis put in place by the powers that be in college football, the officials—handed their marching orders and their new points of emphasis—slapped Locker with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that moved the line of scrimmage to the 18-yard line for the try. Needless to say, a gimme became something less than a gimme. With everyone on the Washington kick protection unit worrying about executing under pressure, BYU was able to confidently rush the kick and register a block on a ball that had to be driven with a lower trajectory. With a regular PAT, a ball merely has to be chipped high into the air, given the absence of any worries about distance. But on a 35-yard PAT, the ball had to be struck with distance—and not just accuracy—in mind. By any reasonable standard, this 15-yard flag—under the given circumstances—clearly affected the outcome of the game.

Because of the absurd penalty, people won’t remember the heroics of Locker, or the poised passing of his counterpart, BYU signal caller Max Hall. Fans won’t focus on the superb slashing of Cougar fullback Harvey Unga, or the clutch pass-catching exploits of Brigham Young wideout Dennis Pitta, who repeatedly excelled in third-and-long situations for his team. All they’ll remember is that a kid was penalized for celebrating with his teammates, leading to a series of events that affected the final score.

Now, Ty Willingham’s job is in great jeopardy. Life, as they say, isn’t fair… especially in Seattle.