Big 12 coordinator of officials says Justin Blackmon's TD run not excessive

Several people considered it taunting, but Big 12 coordinator of officials Walt Anderson said Blackmon's touchdown was not excessive. He said he didn't see anything on the play that would warrant an unsportsmanlike penalty.

“There's nothing wrong with a player running horizontally, there's no rule that says you always have to be moving vertically on the field,” Anderson said.

Anderson pointed to the fact there could have been a strategic reason for Blackmon's decision to run along the goal line. He also noted that the Biletnikoff winner did not gesture toward his opponent during the play.

“In order for it to be a foul you have to couple it with: What is he doing while he's running horizontally? Is he looking at players? Is he doing something with his hand or the ball?” Anderson said.

“If he gets to the five and starts running horizontally, it becomes a real stretch when you start trying to get into the mind of the player. And I don't think that's the intent of the unsportsmanlike rule.”