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By Ellis Williams
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Miami (Ohio) gave its rival more goalposts to aim at Tuesday night. It also gave Ohio another chance to score.
The RedHawks were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after their stadium video board displayed images of multiple uprights during a Bobcats field-goal attempt at Yager Stadium. The unusual distraction turned a missed kick into a fresh set of downs near the end of the first half.
The moment drew attention after ESPN College Football shared the sequence on X. Miami ultimately recovered to win 34-17, but its video-board operation supplied one of the rivalry game's strangest moments.
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Ohio kicker Brack Peacock had lined up for a 34-yard attempt with the Bobcats ahead 17-7. Behind the actual uprights, the screen offered additional images of goalposts, creating an extra visual obstacle for the visiting kicker.
Peacock missed, but the officials did not allow the sequence to end there.
“On the previous play, there were depictions of the field goal uprights on the scoreboard,” the referee announced.
The ruling was unsportsmanlike conduct against Miami, with half the distance to the goal and an automatic first down. Rather than getting off the field after the miss, the RedHawks had to defend another scoring opportunity.
Ohio's official play-by-play records the penalty moving the ball from Miami's 17-yard line to its 8. It also lists the field-goal attempt as no play. Ohio holder Magnus Haines then threw an incomplete pass intended for Evan Herrmann on the final play of the half, leaving the score unchanged.
The display might have looked like creative home-field gamesmanship, but video-board operators are covered by college football's restrictions on distractions.
The NCAA specifically addressed those operators in a 2021 rules update. Under its section on unsportsmanlike tactics, the organization said video-board and lighting-system operators had been added to the personnel prohibited from creating distractions that obstruct play.
Miami avoided giving up points after the penalty and took control after halftime. The RedHawks scored 27 unanswered second-half points, turning a 10-point deficit into a 17-point victory.
Running back D'Shawntae Jones finished with 115 rushing yards, including a 48-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. The result moved Miami to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in Mid-American Conference play, while Ohio fell to 7-3 and 5-1 in the league.
The extra uprights did not produce extra points for Ohio. They did leave Miami with a reminder that the stadium's video board is subject to the rules, too.
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