If you fell asleep during the Vikings/Packers game last night and missed the Arizona/Oregon game that took place out in Eugene, Ore., we don't blame you one bit. The NFL's Thursday Night Football games have been snoozers so far this season. But if you did knock out during the NFL game, then you missed one hell of a college matchup.
Arizona was actually a 24-point underdog heading into their game with Oregon. But thanks to the solid play of their quarterback Anu Solomon, the Wildcats stuck with the Ducks for the entire game and were poised to take a 7-point lead late in the fourth quarter. However, Solomon got sacked by Oregon defensive lineman Tony Washington on a third-down play and it appeared as though Arizona was going to have to settle for a field goal. That is, until Washington decided to run to midfield and do this:
What Washington did was innocent enough. We've seen NFL player Justin Tuck do that same exact celebration dozens of times during his pro career. But in college, the referees are instructed to flag guys for doing celebrations like that. So Washington got hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play, Arizona got a first down, and a few plays later, they scored a go-ahead touchdown that turned out to be the game-winning score. So in essence, Washington's penalty very well may have cost his team the game and the chance to earn a berth in this season's inaugural College Football Playoff.
Oregon fans were understandably pissed at the call:
We're pretty sure we already know the answer to this, but do you think Washington deserved to be flagged for what he did?
[via For The Win]
