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Jalen Graham taunting penalty traces roots to infamous 1990s Miami teams

On3 imageby:Tom Dienhart•11/20/22•

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Purdue fans still can’t believe it.

Jalen Graham was racing to pay dirt after making an interception at midfield early in the second half on Saturday vs. Northwestern. That’s when it happened.

The Boilermaker safety/linebacker began to high-step at about the Northwestern 30-yard line. He continued to strut across the goal line. Graham’s antics drew a penalty for taunting. And, it would be a costly.

The TD was taken off the board thanks to the “Miami Rule,” an unsportsmanlike conduct/taunting penalty that was hatched in response to the raucous antics of the infamous Hurricane teams of the 1990s.

“We can’t have that happen, of course,” said Purdue coach Jeff Brohm after the game. “We’ve got to put a stop to that.”

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So, instead of leading, 21-3, Purdue’s edge remained 14-3. The Boilermakers still got possession of the ball after the Graham pick. But, the offense could tally no points after Mitchell Fineran missed a 47-yard field goal in a swirling wind.

Purdue hung on to win, 17-9, so Graham’s taunting penalty didn’t prove to be costly. But, it could have been.

“That’s a good play negated by something foolish,” said Brohm. “So, we’ve got to get that fixed and I think Jalen understands that. So, we’ll get that done.”

Last year, Iowa State receiver Xavier Hutchinson had a TD taken away because of a taunting penalty against Oklahoma State. Like Graham, the Cyclones receiver high-stepped his way into the end zone and was penalized.

It’s a rule that traces its roots to the bad boy Miami (Fla.) teams that took taunting to new heights 30 or so years ago. The Hurricanes reached their peak taunting form in the 1991 Cotton Bowl vs. Texas.

On that day in Dallas, the Hurricanes were flagged for a school-record 16 penalties, including nine for unsportsmanlike conduct. That performance resulted in the institution of the “Miami Rule,” a 15-yard penalty for any player engaging in prolonged celebrations or taunting. Despite the antics, the Canes won, 46-3, that day.

That original taunting rule called for a 15-yard penalty to be enforced on the extra point or ensuing kickoff and allowed the touchdown to stand. But in April 2010, the NCAA added more teeth to the rule by saying a taunting infraction would wipe out a touchdown if a player taunted en route to the end zone.

So, instead of getting six points, the team would be assessed a 15-yard penalty from the spot of the foul. That’s what happened to Purdue on Saturday after Graham’s infraction, as the Boilermakers took possession at the NU 35-yard line.

Graham posted a video of his play to his Twitter account with the message “Looked up to 21,” a reference to Deion Sanders.

Purdue has had its share of issues with penalties in 2022. Against Syracuse, the Boilermakers were flagged for 13 penalties. The Orange benefitted from 50 yards of Purdue penalties to score a TD with seven seconds left to beat the Boilermakers, 32-29. In a season-opening 35-31 loss to Penn State, Purdue had nine penalties for 92 yards.

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