The referees in the game between Purdue and Northwestern made a call that the college football world blasted.
Boilermakers linebacker Jalen Graham intercepted a Northwestern pass in his direction. Graham ran the interception back into the end zone for a touchdown. Or so he thought.
In reality, Graham’s touchdown was not actually a score. The referees took the TD off the board because Graham high-stepped on the way to the end zone.
Football writer Chris B. Brown tweeted, “Purdue interception return for a TD taken off the board, for “high stepping.” Coach Prime would be aghast.”
Tough to argue. This isn’t any fun at all. The last memorable instance of this was back in 2011. LSU punter Brad Wing had a touchdown wiped off the board after he showboated on the way to the end zone. That was lame then and this is even lamer now.
The NFL has carried the reputation of being the ‘No Fun League.’ It’s not a great recipe for college football to follow. A frustrating one, if anything. So the college football world reacted to the penalty with one general sentiment.
Mike Leslie of WFAA in Dallas tweeted, “We’re calling ‘highstepping into the endzone’ as a penalty now? Really? Hey guys – go play a kids game, but don’t you dare have any fun while doing it.”
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022