Legends’ Take: LSU punter shouldn’t have been penalized

If you watched the game between Florida and second-ranked LSU this weekend, you probably saw the controversial call that cost the Tigers a touchdown on a fake punt.

LSU punter Brad Wing went 52 yards for a would-be touchdown, but as he ran inside the 10-yard line, Wing raised his arms in a somewhat taunting motion. A flag was thrown, and due to college football’s newest rule change, LSU’s seven points were taken off the board. The Tigers settled for three.

“I couldn’t believe it myself,” former Alabama coach Gene Stallings said. “I watched that when it happened and, in fact, the punt before, there wasn’t anybody covering it and I wondered why they didn’t run the football. And then they did it and I didn’t see all that much taunting and celebrating myself.

“I think, when you take points off the board, I was opposed to that myself. I don’t know, there have been a lot of people that might have thought that might have been a good call, but that’s a big game to take seven points off the board, and that could make it hard to win a football game.”

Former Ohio State coach John Cooper agrees.

“I think they’re carrying that a little bit too far,” Cooper said. “You know, I don’t think you should ever be able to show up your opponent, but I don’t see anything wrong with having fun celebrating a little bit. I think they’re carrying it too far. I thought it was an awful penalty. “

Stallings says taunting is unacceptable, but he wouldn’t have changed the unsportsmanlike conduct rule.

“Let me just say something,” Stallings said. “We were playing in the national championship game against Miami, and I had a player who ran the ball down to about the six or seven yard line and he just spun the ball. I mean, as he got up he just spun the ball a little bit and penalized us 15 yards. There’s a big difference in three points and seven points in a game of that magnitude. I don’t think games should be settled by the officials. I think it should be settled by the players. I don’t think you ought to taunt a player, but I must’ve missed something. I didn’t really see him taunting anybody myself.”

What do you think of the new rule to take points off the board if the penalty is committed before crossing the goal line? Were the refs right to penalize LSU?

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