Taunting call left Maryland football fans puzzled in loss to Washington
Maryland football (4-1) defensive back Dontay Joyner broke up a pass to Washington (4-1) wide receiver Denzel Boston in the end zone. The junior sociology major stood up and celebrated with a “seatbelt” move, a popular celebration amongst defensive lines in football.
Joyner’s move was flagged instantaneously, shocking the receiver and the crowd. The call moved Washington to the 3-yard line where they scored on the next drive—one of three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter that ripped a seemingly secure victory out of Maryland’s hands.
The call was the final piece of a momentum shift Terps fans witnessed all too familiarly in Saturday’s 24-20 loss. The replay of the celebration, shared by Matt Germack on Twitter, garnered over 16,000 likes on the platform, sparking conversation on referee sensitivity and penalty calls during key moments of the game.
Tariq Kumara, a sophomore business administration major, thought the call went against the heart and competitive nature of football.
“It’s starting to get a little weak,” Kumara said.
The NCAA changed its rules this season to end all depictions of gun violence in the sport. The Athletic Business shared the new NCAA rules, explaining the portrayal of a weapon or firing a weapon will be penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Coach Michael Locksley noted after the loss that the seatbelt celebration was done everywhere, but he was told the call was “brandishing a weapon,” Michael Howes first reported on X. Maryland fans weren’t convinced.
“I think it’s pretty silly,” freshman environmental science and policy major Isla Levy said. “I don’t think it was anything disrespectful.”
The seatbelt “celly” was first displayed in 2020 by South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu, the Athletic reported. The pair of defensive backs wanted a signature celebration and crafted the move to go with a then-popular saying, “strap,” that was used after blocking players out.
Horn debuted the move on October 24, 2020 against LSU. Mukuamu followed, performing the move after a play of his own. Since then, the seatbelt has exploded as the signature celly for defensive players across all levels of football.
Kieran Wilson, a sophomore psychology major, noted it’s expected when a player makes a good move for their team.
“I don’t know how that would be taunting necessarily, especially when celebrations are such a big part of football culture,” Wilson said.
The seatbelt move wasn’t the only questionable call of the game. Defensive lineman Sidney Stewart was ejected at the end of the first half for targeting. The freshman had completed a sack in every game so far and was highlighted alongside teammates Malik Washington and Zahir Mathis in ESPN’s top freshman list.
“People don’t realize that changed a lot of [the] momentum,” Kumara said. “He’s a top five [freshman] in the country.”
Despite the debatable calls, Maryland’s poor performance in the fourth quarter was enough to seal the game for Washington. Huskies’ quarterback Demond Williams Jr. led three straight drives that all resulted in touchdowns. Maryland couldn’t convert any runs on its final possession with three minutes on the clock to work with.
Joshua Akodu, a transfer sophomore electrical engineering student, noted that for a school of Maryland’s stature, the performance at the end was “sad.”
While fans agree Maryland could benefit from better calls from the refs, Locksley will have to prioritize getting the Terps to play a full game to get the support they received on Saturday. The matchup was Maryland’s first sold-out crowd since the Penn State matchup in 2023.
“As a fan, it was demoralizing,” Akodu said. “We need to get our act together.”