They say all is fair in love and war—and now apparently field goal attempts.
Late in the second quarter of Texas’s road game against Oklahoma State, the Longhorns trotted out Cameron Dicker to try a 40-yard field goal just before the end of the half. The socially-distanced crowd at Boone Pickens Stadium attempted to make as much noise as possible to distract Dicker, but the Oklahoma State video board operator made perhaps the biggest impact by filling the video board behind the goal post with vertical yellow lines.
Call it a little Halloween trickery.
Dicker, who’s 38-for-51 in his career and was a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2018, somehow made the kick anyway, though watching the video is an easy way to make yourself go cross-eyed. It’s unclear if there is anything in the Big 12 or NCAA rule book about whether or not a move like that is legal, though it can certainly be an effective strategy to rattle opposing kickers.
The tactic brings to mind the “Curtain of Distraction” method of intimidation used by the Arizona State student section during basketball games. Though ASU does not use audio visual aids, students frequently dress up in wonky costumes and jump out from behind the eponymous curtain while opposing players shoot free throws.
We don’t know if Oklahoma State’s video board hijinks has a name yet, but Cowboys students will surely come up with something that fits—assuming the Big 12 and NCAA don’t call a stop to such ploys in the future.
