Dan Mullen zings Dr. Pepper over halftime challenge

Nov 20, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen on the sidelines against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

During halftime of the Pac-12 Conference Championship Game between Washington and Oregon, Dr. Pepper hosted a throwing competition with the winner receiving $100,000 in tuition money. And while that’s a life-changing moment for the victor, former Mississippi State head coach and current ABC analyst, Dan Mullen, took exception to the lax rules.

The concept is simple: Two students stand behind a predetermined line, throw footballs at large Dr. Pepper cans, and whoever gets the most inside the can wins the contest. That’s the extent of the rules.

https://twitter.com/TSV__1/status/1730785013233483810

But for Mullen, the issue is form.

The “chest pass” has become an all-too-common approach to these contests and it’s really no longer football at that point. Chest passes are more of a basketball thing, yet fans continuously resort to that style when competing — and that rubs Mullen the wrong way.

Can @drpepper teach people to throw.

— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) December 2, 2023

Mullen wasn’t alone in his criticism. Even before the competition started, fellow analyst Kirk Herbstreit complained about the chest-pass on live television.

“Anything but the chest pass,” Herbstreit said. “I’m not a big fan of that.”

Sports anchor Kevin Negandhi also griped about the chest pass, as did many others on social media.

But that didn’t stop Mohamed Adam, a Stony Brook student, from utilizing a modified version of the chest pass to defeat his counterpart, who used a more traditional form. And whether people like it or not, that’s probably the safe play when you’re only five yards away from the target.