Having 12 Players

HAVING 12 PLAYERS on the field in a football game rarely goes unnoticed, because two officials carry the responsibility for counting the men on offense while two others count the defensive players. But in the 1969 Orange Bowl, Kansas linebacker Rick Abernathy nearly led his team to victory as the 12th man.

The only Jayhawks football team to win a Big Eight conference title led Penn State 14–7 late in the fourth quarter. However, with just over a minute remaining, Nittany Lions quarterback Chuck Burkhart completed a 47-yard pass to Bob Campbell, setting up first-and-goal at the Kansas 3-yard line.

Kansas coach Pepper Rodgers called for his goal-line defense and substituted two tackles for two linebackers. In the confusion, Abernathy’s replacement failed to inform the linebacker to leave the huddle, and Kansas played with a 12-man defense.

Surprisingly, officials overlooked the extra defender for three plays. Penn State twice handed the ball to fullback Tom Cherry, but Abernathy stopped him both times for no gain. With only 15 seconds left to play, Burkhart bootlegged around the left end for the tying touchdown.

Rather than settle for a tie, Penn State coach Joe Paterno opted for a two-point conversion. Burkhart rolled right, attempting a pass to Campbell, but the Kansas defense knocked the ball away.

As the Jayhawks celebrated, they didn’t notice that official Foster Grose had flagged Kansas for illegal participation. Given a second chance, Campbell bolted into the end zone and Penn State emerged with a 15–14 victory.

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POINT Abernathy and the Kansas coaches didn’t intend to break the rules. But a miscommunication caused Abernathy to be on the field when he shouldn’t have been. The officials almost overlooked the error that would have given Kansas the Orange Bowl trophy.

In life, we often don’t intend to sin or break God’s rules. We make an accidental mistake, or someone causes us to mess up. Occasionally no one finds out, but we can never hide from God. He always throws the penalty flag, and we always pay the price.

GOAL! Watch a football game in person or on television. Imagine you are the referee or umpire, and count the offensive players. Did you miss any? If you ask him to, God will forgive your accidental—as well as your intentional—sins.