Kentucky RB Benny Snell ejected for ridiculous reason in Music City Bowl
Benny Snell, Kentucky’s best offensive player, was ejected in the second quarter of the Music City Bowl.
The ejection was nowhere near warranted.
Snell was tossed for making contact with an official — an official who offered to help him up after getting tackled. Snell had just been brought to the ground by a horde of Northwestern players and declined the helping hand.
Snell, who understandably seemed peeved after being slammed to the ground a bit after the whistle blew, pushed the referee’s hands away. Here’s a closer look.
Was it something Snell shouldn’t have done? Probably. But did it warrant a disqualification from the game? Absolutely not. Football is an emotional game and the referee has to have some tact in a situation like that.
A 15-yard penalty would have sufficed if the referee was so displeased by Snell pushing his hands away. An ejection in a bowl game is flat out ridiculous.
The ref’s explanation didn’t make much sense, either.
Music City Bowl referee Chris Coyte on Benny Snell ejection: "The player got up and grabbed my arms and pushed them away and contacted me. That’s a foul."
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) December 30, 2017
I asked Music City Bowl referee Chris Coyte if Benny Snell's grab & push was incidental contact. Coyte said "It was not."
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) December 30, 2017
I asked Music City Bowl referee Chris Coyte if Benny Snell's grab & push was intentional contact. Coyte said, "That's how I ruled. Yes."
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) December 30, 2017
I asked Music City Bowl referee Chris Coyte if anything was said by Benny Snell that influenced the ejection beyond contact. He said, "No."
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) December 30, 2017
It proved costly, too. Snell, who entered the game with the fifth-most carries in the country, scored his 19th touchdown of the season for the Wildcats in the first quarter. The Wildcats finished the game — a 24-23 loss — with just 65 rushing yards.
It’s a shame the referee had to impact the game like that.
UK’s issues with the officiating didn’t end there, either. After a play where quarterback Stephen Johnson was injured on what appeared to be a late hit, Kentucky was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. Perhaps it was for complaining about the lack of a late hit call, but the referee did not specify.
Stephen Johnson injures his right shoulder on this hit, that was not called for a late hit (pretty egregious takedown)
And Kentucky got an unsportsmanlike for complaining, apparently. This is awful. pic.twitter.com/vMaVWtAC9E
— Dr. Saturday (@YahooDrSaturday) December 29, 2017
Northwestern also took umbrage with the officiating, specifically a targeting call late in the second quarter.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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