Point, Counterpoint: Purdue's Pick-Six That Got Wiped Off The Board For Unsportsmanlike Conduct Is The Bullshit Call To End All Bullshit Calls
Whatever the complete inverse of "officiating nirvana" is, we've reached it. This be a new low, peoples of the college football realm.
I had just submitted my blog on this but saw that Barstool's beloved Rico Bosco had just beat me to the punch in covering this story. However, since I have the complete opposite take to Rico, who essentially said college football should be a "zero fun sir" sport, I figure I have enough here for an effective counterpoint.
It's not Jalen Graham's fault that Northwestern quarterback Cole Freeman made a mind-numbingly stupid throw and that nobody on the Wildcats is athletic enough to chase him down or get within 30 yards of him before he starts high-stepping toward the end zone.
Here's what Rico had to say about that:
"When will these kids learn? When will these coaches discipline these kids? You know what the worst part of this is? Graham [sic] was likely in the next play. You cannot act like a hot dog and have no repercussions. It sends a horrible message. Shameful by Purdue and it's staff. There's kids watching!"
Uhhh...agree to disagree. I'm not trying to start shit with the Ryders, alright? I'm not trying to call out any fellow bloggers or get personal with anyone. I did that with Marty a while back and have dipped in those waters a few times and every time I just feel kinda rotten about it. This is purely a sports-related difference of opinion.
OK. With that established...
Graham should've had the easiest pick-six known to mankind. If you're the referee, you blow the whistle and enforce it after the play if you must. Make it the equivalent of, like, "continuation" in basketball where the player follows through on the act of shooting as he's getting fouled and you still give him the points. Because seriously what the fuck are we even doing here?
Imagine if this were a higher-stakes game and not a typically-ugly Big Ten slugfest between a 1-9 Northwestern group and a heavily favored Purdue team. I just hope other crews around the country are watching this and we don't see a similar scenario unfold on a bigger stage. Talk about mutilating the integrity of the game. I've never seen such a bad call in my life.
What a fucking killjoy officiating group. And what a killjoy take to suggest a college football player, who worked his ass off to get a scholarship and work toward a degree, can't enjoy making a play on a Saturday in a conference game and celebrate however he sees fit. Football isn't a lifetime sport. Get fired the fuck up when you make a play. YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED. The whole "act like you've been there before" is cool if you're, like, an established NFL star. In this instance? Let it rip. Troll Northwestern and scream, "BYE NERDDDDDDS" as you high-step all the way to pay dirt.