SMU Mustangs defensive back Brandon Crossley was ejected in the third quarter in the team’s win over the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday night when he spat in the face of another player.
Crossley, a senior from Dallas, didn’t record any statistics before he was thrown out of the game. The referees called an unsportsmanlike penalty on Crossley and ejected him.
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Brandon Crossley of the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the Texas State Bobcats game at Bobcat Stadium on Sept. 5, 2020, in San Marcos, Texas. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)
“Officials make calls, and we’ve got to live with it. They do a good job running the game,” Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee said after the game, via the Dallas Morning News. “It’s really hard for guys to control their emotions when they get spit on, but they’ve got to.”
The penalty kept Nevada’s drive alive and the Wolf Pack scored a touchdown to take a 24-13 lead.
“That’s on us. It cost us him, and it cost our team,” Lashlee added. “We’ve got to be better than that. We’ve got to have composure. There’s a difference between playing with passion and emotion. We were emotional a lot tonight. We’ve got to be passionate. Big difference.”
Southern Methodist Mustangs safety Brandon Crossley against the North Texas Mean Green on Nov. 10, 2023, at Gerald Ford Stadium in Dallas. (Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Lashlee did say there was another spitting incident earlier in the game. He said wide receiver Jordan Hudson told him he was spat on in the first quarter, which is why he was seen slapping Nevada’s Kristopher Ross.
No penalty was called for spitting, then.
SMU won the game on a Preston Stone touchdown pass to RJ Maryland with 1:18 left in the game.
Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee watches a play during the Navy Midshipmen game on Nov. 25, 2023, at Gerald Ford Stadium in Dallas. (Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The touchdown helped the Mustangs top the Wolf Pack 29-24.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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