A bizarre scene unfolded in Saturday's meeting between Mountain West foes Air Force and UNLV, a game that saw the Falcons beat the Rebels 42-7.
Not even that blowout could keep referee Steve Baron from enforcing Mountain West Conference rules regarding band music. The Star of Nevada Marching Band reportedly was breaking the rules by playing while Air Force was on offense.
The issue came to a head when Baron climbed into the stands at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium and trekked all the way to the band section to tell them to stop playing at inappropriate times. Baron could be seen having a quick word with the band director.
The ref just went into the crowd and told the UNLV band to stop playing whilst Air Force has the ball (I think at least) 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/9xA9FAbXgV
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) October 16, 2022
The kicker: Baron's confrontation came with 1:44 left in the third quarter, with Air Force leading 35-7 at the time.
Mountain West rules prohibit bands from playing as soon as the opposing team breaks the huddle. Bands are prohibited from playing at all if a team runs a no-huddle offense.
What makes this scene stand out from the norm is that, instead of getting on the PA system to instruct the band to quiet down, Baron thought it was necessary to use the TV timeout to climb all the way into the stands to address the problem face-to-face.
A for effort, but perhaps Baron would be better served instructing the band from the field next time. That's assuming, of course, other teams' bands don't get the message from his confrontation with UNLV.
