Miami of Ohio penalized for Patriots-style video board trickery on field goal attempt

Published November 11, 2026 11:36 AM At the start of this season, a former NFL analytics staffer publicized a longstanding effort by the Patriots to confuse opposing kickers with the video board behind the goal posts, showing an image of the goal posts meant to cause an optical illusion and make it harder for a kicker to put the ball through the uprights. At the time the Patriots were doing it, it was legal. Shortly after it was revealed, the NFL banned it.Miami of Ohio found out on Tuesday night that it’s not legal in college football, either.Just before halftime of its game against Ohio, as Ohio lined up for a field goal, the Miami video board operator put images of goal posts on the video board, in the line of the Ohio kicker’s vision, in an attempt to confuse the visiting kicker. The referee threw a flag and announced that it was unsportsmanlike conduct.“On the previous play, there were depictions of the field goal uprights on the scoreboard. That is a foul for unsportsmanlike conduct against Miami. Half the distance to the goal, automatic first down,” the referee said.Ohio accepted the penalty and attempted to score a touchdown with two seconds remaining in the half on the next play, but the Miami defense held, so the penalty didn’t really cost Miami. And Miami ultimately won the game 34-17, so nothing about that play ultimately had an impact on the final result. Miami head coach Chuck Martin said after the game that he had no idea his team could get penalized for what was shown on the video board.“We get the scoreboard penalty,” Martin said. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”Many people didn’t know there was such a penalty. Now they know.