Incarnate Word was penalized for the funniest touchdown celebration of all-time during Saturday’s college football game against Houston Christian. It didn’t bother anyone or anything but laundry ended up on the field anyway.
The official who threw a flag hates fun, confirmed.
Incarnate Word, led by former Texas A&M and Auburn quarterback Zach Calzada, put a beatdown on its opponent at home. Its fifth score of the game came on a 50-yard bomb early in the third quarter.
Wide receiver Jalen Walthall blew past the secondary and caught his 12th touchdown of the year between a pair of Huskies defenders. The Cardinals went up 37-6 on the deep ball to effectively put a nail in the metaphorical coffin. There was very little chance of a comeback.
With the game pretty much in the bag, Walthall decided to celebrate in grand fashion.
He started by spinning the ball on the turf, which is fairly common. His next move is what drew the flag.
Flagging this TD celebration by Incarnate Word should be grounds for a suspension (h/t @SickosCommittee) pic.twitter.com/V6dDLyH0at
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) November 2, 2024
The 6-foot-2, 280-pound pass catcher did a headstand. And not just any headstand! Walthall stuck his arms at his side and went full vertical in the end zone while standing only on the top of his helmet.
Caught the celly in 4k 🤯@SouthlandSports @NCAA_FCS @SickosCommittee #TheWord | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/t53cRLz3gN
— UIW Football (@UIWFootball) November 2, 2024
Unfortunately, the nearby Southland Conference official decided that no fun shall be had today and Incarnate Word was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Fortunately, the flag did not have an impact on the college football game because all 15 yards were assessed on the kickoff.
Jalen Walthall really did that. His celebration was hilarious. He did not taunt. Nothing!
Penalties of this nature are at the discretion of the officiating crew. In this instance, there was no reason to make this call during a blowout loss that did not have any previous signs of getting chippy or out of hand!