Vince Dooley thought the ‘excessive celebration’ rule in college football was a good idea when he was the chair of the committee that enacted it. He still thinks it’s a good idea.

But last weekend, it distressed him to watch it work against Georgia, the team he used to coach.

‘It hurt,’ Dooley said. ‘But on the other hand, I got hurt by the refs when I was a coach, too.’

Dooley was the chairman of the NCAA rules committee that implemented a rule against ‘excessive celebration’ after touchdowns before the 1995 season. A rule that has seemingly come under fire on an annual basis since it was introduced – and this season is no exception.

After the rule played a large role in the outcome of Georgia’s match-up against Louisiana State on Oct. 3, its critics have once again come to the forefront to argue that touchdown celebrations should not have an affect on the game. But there are also those like Dooley, who will defend the rule to its grave, reasoning that college football should not become more about the individual than the team.

Dooley had seen the rule in its ups and downs through the years. Never, though, had it helped or harmed Georgia, the team for which Dooley was the head coach from 1964 to 1988, and the director of athletics from 1979 to 2004.

That all changed two weeks ago, when the Bulldogs took a 13-12 lead over LSU with 1:09 remaining in the game. Georgia quarterback Joe Cox rifled a 16-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver A.J. Green, who came down with the catch over the helmet of defender Chris Hawkins.

When he landed, Green raised his hands in the air, appearing to wave toward the home crowd in Athens, Ga. The officials viewed this action as excessive and flagged Georgia for excessive celebration.

Green disagreed.

‘All I did was just shake my head and throw my hands up, and everybody just came around me,’ Green said of his ensuing celebration.

The Southeastern Conference later issued a statement from the officiating crew, which said the refs penalized Green for making ‘a gesture to the crowd calling attention to himself.’

As a result, the Bulldogs kicked off from their own 15-yard line and LSU’s Trindon Holliday returned the ball into field-goal range. Two plays later, Tigers running back Charles Scott ran 33 yards into the end zone for the winning score.

‘It was very unfortunate that (the excessive celebration call) happened,’ Dooley said. ‘I didn’t see anything that would cause somebody to throw a flag.’

Dooley said that he thought Green was celebrating with his teammates, which is encouraged in the excessive celebration rule. Therefore, in his opinion, a flag should not have been thrown.

The committee was concerned with individual celebration as part of a growing trend in college football that also included taunting, individual celebrations on an increasing number of plays, and even fighting.

‘When I first saw it, immediately I saw a team celebration,’ Dooley said. ‘This is one of the things we’re trying to encourage. What we’re trying to discourage is the individual, ‘look-at-me,’ choreographed celebrations.

‘What we don’t want,’ Dooley added, ‘is a game with a bunch of T.O.s (Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens) in it.’

Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson understood how Georgia head coach Mark Richt must have felt as the flag was thrown. After all, he went through the same anguish in 2005.

In a game at No. 13 Florida, the Commodores scored with 54 seconds left to cut the Gator lead to just one.

Realizing the magnitude of the potential upset, Johnson immediately called for a two-point conversion attempt to win the game. But an excessive celebration call ruined his plans. The Commodores kicked the long extra point and eventually lost in overtime.

‘I didn’t see the play,’ Johnson said. ‘The next day when I saw it on film, that’s when I really got mad (at the call).’

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier also doesn’t think too highly of the rule, even though he has not been directly affected by it.

In his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Spurrier suggested the SEC should take a second look at the rule this offseason.

‘I’ve always thought they shouldn’t have put it in because you give the referee too much discretion,’ Spurrier said. ‘I think it has to be really excessive.’

But, like Dooley, there are others who support the rule as just another judgment call that keeps the college game from being too focused on individuals.

Vanderbilt’s Johnson still agrees with the basic premise of the rule, but he wants to see the league tweak the rule so that multiple referees can be involved in the process.

‘It’s better if one guy calls it to have someone like the back judge come in and ask if he saw the same thing,’ Johnson said. ‘If he didn’t, he should have the ability to call it off.’

Despite disagreeing with the call against Georgia, Dooley doesn’t see the need to remove the rule or even tweak it.

After all, he said, games are often affected by other judgment calls.

‘This (excessive celebration call) can be a factor in a team winning or losing a game just like any other call,’ Dooley said. ‘Pass interference can be a factor. Holding can be a factor.

‘It’s great when those calls go for you, and it hurts when they go against you. But it’s the rule.’

Operating System

Kliff Kingsbury. BJ Symons. Graham Harrell.

These quarterbacks have all come and gone from Texas Tech and head coach Mike Leach’s pass-heavy offense, and each of them has been labeled as a product of the system.

Enter the new guy.

With starting quarterback Taylor Potts sidelined due to complications from a concussion suffered Oct. 3 against New Mexico, backup Steven Sheffield got the starting nod. He proceeded to throw for 490 yards and seven touchdowns on 33-of-41 passing as the Red Raiders routed Kansas State, 66-14.

‘I thought he did things you really want a quarterback to do,’ Leach said after the game.

Whatever the case, the system is working just fine.

Game to Watch: No. 20 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas

Oklahoma sputtered out of the gate, but things are getting back to normal. Defending Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was back in action last week for the first time since his team’s opening 14-13 loss to Brigham Young, throwing nearly 400 yards.

Of course, all eyes will be on the quarterback match-up of Bradford versus the Longhorns’ Colt McCoy. Bradford had the better passing day last year, throwing for 387 yards and five touchdowns, compared to McCoy’s one. But Texas got the better of the match-up, winning, 45-35.

bplogiur@syr.edu

Published on October 12, 2009 at 12:00 pm