The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks had the opportunity to stay in the MAC title game conversation, defeat a hated rival and deliver said rival its first conference loss of the season all in one night. With so much at stake, people will use all sorts of tactics to achieve victory. The players themselves fought valiantly, earning a 34-17 win versus the Ohio Bobcats, but not everyone on their side was willing to compete honorably.

While the opposition attempted a field goal in the final seconds of the first half, the Miami scoreboard operator displayed photos of field goal posts in an attempt to seemingly disorient the kicker. Brack Peacock misfired from 34 yards, but the official refused to let such shenanigans go unpunished. The RedHawks got hit with possibly the strangest penalty of all-time.

“On the previous play there were depictions of the field goal uprights on the scoreboard. That is a foul for unsportsmanlike conduct,” the referee declared, per Carter Lowe. We've seen it all now.

I am dying 💀💀💀 https://t.co/JkoCVHdygu pic.twitter.com/yV8zu6J0h9

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 11, 2026

Article Continues Below

Miami (OH) actually caught a break, as the Bobcats failed to complete a pass at the goal line and went into halftime still down 17-7. Ohio roared back in the third and actually took a lead into the fourth quarter before the RedHawks scored 20 unanswered. Perhaps the football gods decided to smite the home team for its trickery, but in the Battle of the Bricks, victory is ultimately earned.

Miami (OH) will celebrate this outcome and its renewed hopes in the MAC. The scoreboard operator may have to sit through a couple of unpleasant conversations, though.