Texas A&M football: Old men yell at cloud after fans rush the field
By Jeff Shull
Texas A&M football was fined $50,000 for the fans rushing the field; it might be time for an adjustment to the rule book.
The game between LSU and Texas A&M football will go down as one of the greatest regular season college football games of all time. The seven-overtime thriller was the longest timed game in history and had the most points scored in a game ever.
It was back and forth for all of regulation and overtime was like watching two heavyweight boxers exchange blow after blow in the final rounds of a championship bout. For those watching without a dog in the fight, there was little else they could ask for.
Aggie fans have long endured a program that either comes up short in big games, or the breaks in these games just don’t go their way. You saw some of that in the Clemson game earlier this season. We could go all day arguing the fumble on the one yard line the refs ruled went out of the end zone.
In short, Texas A&M typically doesn’t win games like last night. So you could understand why the students rushed the field after the game. It’s something reserved for nights like that. We’ve only rushed the field twice including Saturday.
That didn’t stop the SEC from fining Texas A&M $50,000 for a “violation of access to competition area policy,” which is a fancy way of saying people on the field who aren’t supposed to be.
In other words, old men yell at cloud.
According to the SEC statement, all schools unanimously agreed to the fines imposed for fans violating the policy, so Aggie brass has no reason to complain, but it’s still a ridiculous rule. Fans should be allowed to celebrate with the players after such a monumental victory. There should be exceptions, especially if nobody on the opposing team’s sideline gets hurt as a result of the students rushing the field.
Nevertheless, it’s a rule, and Texas A&M will gladly pay it. $50,000 is a small price to pay for glory. From someone who was on the field when we beat Nebraska in 2010, it’s a memory those kids will never forget.
Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.