Miami (Ohio) penalized for a bizarre scoreboard stunt to confuse opponent

Some scoreboard tomfoolery got the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks punished by officials during their game against the Ohio Bobcats on Tuesday.

Just before halftime of the contest at Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio, Ohio kicker Brack Peacock failed to make a 34-yard field goal attempt. Apparently, he was distracted by the scoreboard showing multiple field goal posts. A flag was thrown after the missed kick, as a referee explained the violation committed by the RedHawks, who were slapped with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

“On the previous play there were depictions of the field goal uprights on the scoreboard. That is a foul for unsportsmanlike conduct against Miami (Ohio),” the referee explained.

Here is a video showing the referee announcing the bizarre penalty, followed by a replay of the scoreboard displaying several yellow sticks made to look like goalposts.