BYU seeing Yellow, Gold

BYU snatched a U.S. Collegiate Division I Championship from usual champs California by a 25-22 margin in a thriller a few hours ago, and they did so despite often playing shorthanded with four players receiving yellow cards in the match. Considering that a yellow card puts a player on an unreplaced rest for ten minutes, that's roughly akin to leaving a player out for half the match (though not quite so in this case given that BYU sometimes had 13 players in action due to overlapping offenses).

Typically, a yellow card--or in this case, enough of them for a good start to a poker hand--hurts the offending side's chance to win, so it amy be a surprise that BYU got by despite the number of players temporarily sent off. On the other hand, a look at the nature of the offenses tells a bit about what BYU had to show Cal on the night. The cards were given out for a tackle in the air, a high shot, a hit with no arms, and repeated offenses. Ten minutes an offense is a tough fine to pay, but might be worth the price for the intimation that can come from hitting hard and pushing the limits of the law.

Given the outcome of the match, one wonders if BYU's championship offers a hint at the future of the American game. American football allows, even encourages, most of the offenses that got BYU players sent off, so there is a nation full of potential players out there who are suited to test the physical limits of their opposition. No one should encourage cheating and dirty play, and no one has claimed that's what BYU was up to. They just offered hard hits, even at the expense of strict penalties, and it paid off with a win despite the personnel disadvantage. If this is the way forward in American rugby, this year's college final might be recalled as a turning point in the U.S. game.