Kalani Sitake was irate as Baylor's Oscar-worthy flop nearly foiled BYU's efforts to close the game

BYU football claimed its first road conference victory as a member of the Big 12, but some late-game theatrics granted Baylor one final chance to claim the lead.

In the second half, the Baylor offense chipped away at the Cougars' 17-point lead in hopes of earning a comeback win that could breathe new life into a football program that has been stuck in the mud for the past few seasons.

So when the Bears lost possession on 4th down with the lead whittled down to 6, Baylor's defense made one final desperate move--flopping in hopes of a penalty to force the Cougars backward. Yet beyond all sanity, it worked.

Following a 5-yard pickup on first down by running back Enoch Nawahine, BYU was 5 more yards away from putting the game on ice. But as the players chirped at each other during a dead ball, Nawahine gave a one-hand push.

BYU gave them an inch, and the Bears rode that momentum for an acre.

Kalani Sitake was understandably livid at the referee's poor decision, and shared his feelings with the media immediately following the game.

"I thought it was an obvious flop," said head coach Kalani Sitake when asked about the penalty. "I don't think you can make that call right there in that situation especially when we're trying to grind the clock out. [...] I think it was a bullcrap call, but that's okay. They're human--they're not perfect. I'm not either--that's why I yelled at them. It felt good to release a little bit of anger."

Despite a 5-0 start to the season, Cougar fans are still uneasy about their football team, and Baylor's comeback effort nearly rematerialized thanks to poor officiating. Thankfully, a Crew Wakely interception sealed the game in the final moments, so we can all laugh about this play with hindsight as our ally.

As a rule of thumb for all aspiring referees, regardless of sport. When a player throws his head back and his hands in the air as he falls backwards, that's a flop 99% of the time. Know the symptoms, and diagnose it appropriately.

But to direct credit where it's due, earning a penalty for an exaggerated performance like we saw in McLane Stadium is the football equivalent of earning an Oscar, so my fondest congratulations to the Baylor Bears.

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