We Have A New Front-Runner For Most Unnecessary Unnecessary Roughness Flag In College Football History

Poor Iowa State linebacker Colby Reeder. The Cyclones have a tall enough task to knock off 17th-ranked Baylor at home, and here Reeder was merely trying to make an old-fashioned early statement by laying out a Bears wide receiver Seth Jones. Sadly, the officiating crew deemed this worthy of a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty.

Did my best to screenshot the collision but it's pretty innocuous by football standards. Thanks to overzealous whistleblowing by referees nowadays, the goalposts keep shifting as far as what those physicality standards are.

I wouldn't call that a blindside block or a hit on a defenseless receiver. Jones' body wasn't even fully turned away from Reeder when he got decked. At this point you might as well call that targeting, eject Reeder from the game and just call the damn thing off. I get protecting the players. I really do. This is ridiculous.

Iowa State has been whistled for two other personal fouls on its opening three defensive possessions, resulting in 17 Baylor points. Not the greatest of starts.

Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok