COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — College football is on high alert for players flashing make-believe guns at an opponent.
That happened Saturday when freshman edge rusher Dylan Stewart, who sacked Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart for a loss of eight yards on third down, stood over him and pretended to shoot his opponent with a repeating firearm.
Stewart was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and South Carolina was penalized 15 yards.
The flag did not deter Stewart, who celebrated the same way — he got off three shots of his pretend shotgun — a few minutes later after stopping Rebels runner Matt Jones for a 4-yard loss. No penalty was called on that play.
At Minnesota, defensive back Justin Walley broke up a pass in his team's 24-17 win over then-No. 11 Southern California, then lifted up his shirt as if he were showing a handgun sticking out of his waistband.
Walley was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for what the official said was “simulating brandishing a gun.”
“There’s a list of automatic unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. One of them in our rule book is simulating firing of a weapon,” Steve Shaw, the NCAA’s national coordinator of officials, told The Associated Press by phone Tuesday. “That’s not really a judgement call.”
It seems like a case of bad judgement by the players who consider those actions when they celebrate. The incidents show the NCAA sending a message to keep violence, even the pretend kind, out of its game.
“We're starting to see, I hate to say it, but more and more of it,” Shaw said. “We're just trying to say that's not acceptable. Gun violence is not acceptable in our game.”
It can be difficult to get that message to young players like Stewart, who turned 19 last month and has had an immediate impact on the Gamecocks' defense. He's had 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in his first five college games.
Such displays are sometimes seen in the NFL. Jets receiver Allen Lazard was penalized for firing finger guns after a first-down catch against Denver two weeks ago. He was also fined $14,069 for “unsportsmanlike conduct for a violent gesture,” according to the NFL.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said he spoke with Stewart after the penalty and he's talked with all his players about reducing pre-snap and post-play infractions.
The gesture was “unacceptable,” Beamer said “And Dylan Stewart feels awful about that play. Dylan Stewart's a really good kid, and Dylan Stewart's mom feels awful about that play.”
Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said at his weekly news conference that he tells his players to celebrate with teammates and not leave themselves open to an officials' interpretation of their actions.
“In our world right now, we’re talking about everybody should express themselves, rightfully so,” Fleck said. “Sometimes we’re flagging a particular move, sometimes we’re not. Our whole thing to counter that is don’t leave it up to somebody to interpret something the wrong way.”
Dart, who leads the Southeastern Conference in passing, responded to Stewart's fake shooting on social media, quoting late rapper Young Dolph's song, “100 Shots."
"How the ... you miss a whole hunnid shots?" Dart said, using a line from the song after the Rebels' 27-3 victory.
Shaw said players have to understand they can celebrate in creative ways after big plays. He after the NCAA penalized the throat slash gesture, some players turned to a simulated nose wipe, which is not against the rules.
NCAA spokesman Greg Johnson said Shaw recently sent around a reminder in mid-September to conferences and their football officials to emphasize treating weapon gestures as penalties.
“This was done with the goal of this rule being officiated consistently on a national basis,” Johnson said.
Beamer said he'll keep any punishment for Stewart inside South Carolina's football building. Young people make mistakes, he said, and that's when you help them make the right decisions going forward.
“It's our job to help," Beamer said, "like a parent would do with a child.”
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Minnesota defensive back Justin Walley, below, knocks Southern California wide receiver Duce Robinson (2) off his feet while he carries the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Woody Johnson sensed his struggling New York Jets needed a change — and now.
So the owner made the stunning decision Tuesday to fire coach Robert Saleh just five games into his fourth season after the team's 2-3 start following a 23-17 loss to Minnesota in London on Sunday.
“This is one of the most talented teams that has ever been assembled by the New York Jets,” Johnson said during a conference call with reporters. "I wanted to give this team the most opportunity to win this season. I feel that we had to go in a different direction and that’s why I did that today.
“This change, the change that we made today — that I made — I believe will bring new energy and positivity that will lead to more wins, starting now.”
Saleh was 20-36 as coach of the Jets, who are trying to snap the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 13 seasons. The move marks the first time in Johnson’s 25-year tenure that a head coach has been fired during the season.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season — with the Jets maintaining expectations to make the playoffs.
“He’s going to add a spark of positivity," Johnson said of Ulbrich.
The surprising move came a day after Saleh said he was confident Aaron Rodgers and the Jets would be able to turn things around after losing two straight, including falling to undefeated Minnesota. Rodgers had his worst game with New York, throwing three interceptions.
“I’m not panicked,” Saleh said. "Nobody in the building is panicked.”
But Johnson had seen enough from Saleh, who became the NFL's first coach fired this season. Saleh, who had one year remaining on his contract, had the worst winning percentage — .357 — of any Jets coach with at least 40 games.
“It’s not just the last two games that has precipitated this decision,” Johnson said. “It’s a longer time frame. I’ve had a couple of years to think about this and I just think we can do better. The team can do better. As we have this new leadership, I think that’s going to bring out the best in these players, I really do. I feel confident that that’s going to happen.”
Johnson said he spoke with Rodgers — but not about a possible coaching change — on Monday. He also chatted with general manager Joe Douglas, but added “this was my decision and my decision alone.”
It's the 12th time since 2000 that a team has changed coaches just five games or fewer into a season, and the first since Matt Rhule was fired by Carolina after five games in 2022.
The Jets face the Buffalo Bills (3-2) on Monday night, when they have a chance to share the AFC East lead with a victory. But instead of Saleh, it will be the 47-year-old Ulbrich leading the team on the sideline.
Ulbrich, who played linebacker for 10 seasons with San Francisco, joined the Jets as part of Saleh's initial staff in 2021. He opened a video call with reporters by thanking Saleh for sticking by him when the Jets' defense struggled in their first season together.
“Today's an exciting day for myself from the standpoint of getting this opportunity,” Ulbrich said. “But at the same time, heavy in my heart for Robert.”
Ulbrich was an assistant with Atlanta for six seasons before coming to New York and was part of another midseason coaching change when the Falcons fired Dan Quinn five games into the 2020 season.
“We’re not playing to our potential," Ulbrich said. "We're not. We’re too talented to be putting the product we put out there the last couple of weeks, especially. We have to take a hard look at everything and be honest with ourselves.”
After success as San Francisco's defensive coordinator for four seasons, Saleh replaced the fired Adam Gase in January 2021 after the Jets went 9-23 in his tenure.
Saleh, the son of Lebanese parents, was believed to be the first Muslim head coach in NFL history when the Jets hired him. Saleh wore a patch of Lebanon's flag on his left arm during the game in London on Sunday, something he also did at times last season. The NFL encouraged players and coaches to represent their heritage.
Saleh's tenure began with a major decision as he and Douglas moved on from quarterback Sam Darnold — the No. 3 overall pick in 2018 — to draft Zach Wilson with the second overall pick in 2021.
While Saleh and Ulbrich's defense was a strength for the Jets, Wilson and the offense struggled mightily.
The Jets traded for Rodgers in April 2023, adding the four-time NFL MVP to a franchise looking for a winner. But last season was short-circuited when Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon four snaps into his debut.
New York limped to a 7-10 record and while Johnson wouldn't specifically say there was a playoff mandate for this season, the owner made it clear during the offseason he needed to see marked improvement by saying “we have to do a lot better than seven games.”
Rodgers healed and was ready for the season opener, but he has been banged up the past two weeks and is dealing with a sprained ankle that hobbled him throughout the Jets' loss to Darnold and the Vikings. Saleh said Monday that preliminary tests indicated Rodgers should be able to play against the Bills.
But now Saleh will be only a spectator.
There were questions about his relationship with the 40-year-old Rodgers, but both denied any friction as recently as last week in London when the quarterback said “there’s some driving force trying to put a wedge outside the facility” between the two.
The Jets now will try to become the third team to make the playoffs with an interim coach leading the way, hoping to join the 2021 Raiders with Rich Bisaccia and the 1961 Oilers with Wally Lemm.
“This is a new day for the team and it’s a new day that’s welcome,” Johnson said. “And as the team realizes what opportunity this is for them, I think they’re going to go to a level that we haven’t seen in a while.”
AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.
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FILE - New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, right, talks with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich before an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
FILE - New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich walks the sideline during an NFL preseason football game against the Carolina Panthers, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Brian Westerholt, File)
FILE - New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh talks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, right, talks with New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh before an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
