Players warned against Lambeau leaping
There are many potential memories players from No. 6 LSU and Wisconsin could make Saturday when they play at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers.
Being able to say they played on the same field where Vince Lombardi coached, Brett Favre scrambled and Reggie White sacked. The smell of bratwurst as they step off the bus. Using the same lockers as hundreds of NFL greats. The elements are all there.
The chance to score a touchdown and make like so many Packers by doing a Lambeau Leap in celebration is enticing, too.
But the memory made could become a tad tinged, according to LSU coach Les Miles.
Miles makes that warning because doing something like a Lambeau Leap in college football is almost certain to incur a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.
Badgers coach Paul Chryst acknowledged this week that his team talked during the spring about the risks of leaping into the crowd after a touchdown, and it had nothing to do with player safety. It was all about the potential for a celebration penalty.
Excessive celebration that is not spontaneous and team-focused is a no-no, according in NCAA rules.
But Chryst isn’t totally sure how it would play out. He said, according to the Associated Press, “I’ve been so focused on making sure that ball can somehow cross that (goal) line for the Badgers and try to find a way to keep it from crossing for the Tigers. Didn’t spend a lot of time trying to clarify that.”