Salute This: Controversial Unsportsmanlike Conduct Call Ends Pinstripe Bowl

The inaugural Pinstripe Bowl pitted the Kansas State Wildcats and the Syracuse Orange in the first bowl game to be played at the new Yankee Stadium. 

In what should have been a shining moment for both squads, it was marred by an unsportsmanlike contact call on Kansas State’s final touchdown. 

In one of the most exciting bowl games of the season, Syracuse and K-State went big blow for big blow in the second half.  With just over three minutes left in the game, K-State got the ball down, 36-28. 

The Wildcats drove the field, and with 1:08 left, K-State quarterback Carson Coffman threw a strike to wide receiver Adrian Hilburn for a 30-yard touchdown.   After the score, Hilburn drops the ball and salutes the crowd in the end zone area and is flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. 

Big Ten officials ruled it as excessive celebration due to Hilburn was drawing attention to himself.  This in effect ruined the end of a great ball game.  Kansas State needed to go for a two-point conversion anyways, but was made tougher by the bogus call.  They missed the conversion and could not recover the onside kick, thus Syracuse won, 36-34. 

Now my issue with the call is how is a basic salute, not directed towards a player on the opposing team, unsportsmanlike? 

Two referees, the back judge and head linesman, threw the flags on the play.  But if a salute is unsportsmanlike conduct, then isn’t every celebration unsportsmanlike, as well? 

I’ve seen a lot worse not even called.  Even in the Music City Bowl, Tennessee’s first two touchdowns, player celebrations were more unsportsmanlike then Hilburn’s salute but were not called as such.  These officials also were representing the Big Ten Conference.

All of this showed there is no consistency of officials in the same conference.  Why even make the call?  I know what the rule states, but if taken to the letter, then any celebration is unsportsmanlike. 

In the end, it cost Kansas State a chance to win their bowl game.  In no way should an official’s call determine the outcome of any game. 

If the NCAA wants consistency, then basically an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty should be called on about every play for player celebrations for drawing attention to themselves. 

I’m not saying let there be exuberant celebrations or any celebrations directed towards opposing players, but this call was on the borderline of taking the fun out of the game of football.  It is a game, let the players have fun.