It has come time for all of us to address a very specific situation with our players and staff.
Two weekends ago now, during the Egg Bowl with about four seconds left in the game and down 7 points, Ole Miss scored on a pass with four seconds left. The receiver who caught the pass, Elijah Moore, celebrated the touchdown by heading to the back of the end zone and pretended to pee like a dog.
That forced an extra-long PAT try that sailed outside the upright. Costing the Rebels a shot at overtime.
https://youtu.be/9Arxu2M_VH8
Now, for the second time in three weeks, a celebration after a touchdown ended up costing a team a shot winning the game in overtime. This time, it happened following a big fella touchdown in a Division III quarterfinal playoff game.
Near the goal line, down 7 with 12 seconds left to play against St. John's (D-III - MN), Wheaton (D-III - IL) handed the ball off to a lineman that was lined up as a fullback. After firing off the ball like he was shot out of a cannon, he crossed the goal line and - like any lineman who scores a rare touchdown dreams of doing after scoring a rare TD - immediately spiked the ball excited celebration.
If you're thinking you already know how this one ends, think again. The penalty yardage is marked off for the PAT try, but St. John's runs into the kicker on the attempt (which missed). HOWEVER, Wheaton also got an illegal substitution penalty with 12 men on the field. Those penalties offset and they have to replay the down again.
So the field goal unit stayed out for another attempt at tying the game...but the kick sailed wide right.
See the whole situation unfold below, and please use these two recent instances to talk with your team about how critical post touchdown behavior is, especially with the game on the line.