New Mexico State Aggies freshman safety Tayden Barnes punted a ball into the stands after making an interception during Saturday's college football game against Texas A&M.
It happened in the fourth quarter with Texas A&M leading 31-3. On first and 10 on the New Mexico St. 35-yard line, quarterback Connor Weigman dropped back to pass and threw towards the end zone. Weigman overthrew his receiver and the ball landed right in the arms of Barnes for the interception in the end zone, leading to a touchback. It almost looked like a perfect throw intended for Barnes if he was on the same team.
For whatever reason, Barnes decided to "celebrate" by punting the ball into the stands. Flags were immediately thrown by the officials as they gave him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
New Mexico State DB Tayden Barnes intercepts Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman's pass.
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 17, 2024
He is then penalized for punting the ball into the stands in celebration.
New Mexico State was trailing 31-3. pic.twitter.com/h98JekmeWk
Not only was this a silly move on Barnes' part as his team was penalized, but it looks that much worse when your team is losing by 28 points. Players should be focused on being the best player they can be instead of drawing attention to themselves with celebrations.
Barnes finished the game with 5 tackles (3 solo) and that interception, but in the end, 15th-ranked Texas A&M proved themselves to be the better Aggies as they won the game 38-3.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
