Big Ten team flagged with wildest penalty explanation of 2024

A Big Ten team got whistled on Saturday for one of what’s one of the weirdest penalty explanations of the 2024 season.

Minnesota hosted then-No. 11 USC at Huntington Bank Stadium and sprung an upset on the Trojans, holding serve with a 24-17 win. Things were a little tense with less than a minute remaining and the Trojans driving for a possible last-minute score.

That’s when Golden Gophers defensive back Justin Walley made a tackle and lifted his shirt, ultimately being called as he appeared to show a gun holstered on his waist. The flag meant the Gophers were hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty call to move the Trojans to their own 40.

Here’s video of the call. You can see Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck disagreeing with the flag:

Minnesota upsets No. 11 USC, overcoming the "Simulating Brandishing a Weapon" penalty – which is a "point of emphasis." pic.twitter.com/5Ee0QLcy6L

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 6, 2024

Ultimately, it didn’t hurt the Golden Gophers as their defense ultimately held on for the victory. They improved to 3-2 and head to UCLA in Week 7. Meanwhile, USC dropped to 3-3.

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.