LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 28: Damian Williams wide receiver of the USC Trojans catches 48-yard touchdown pass against UCLA Bruins during the fourth quarter of the NCAA college football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 28, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Was it bad sportsmanship by USC and coach Pete Carroll to throw a long TD pass with less than a minute to go and up 21-7? Answer: No. Reason: USC had already taken a knee the play before, signaling, "The game is over." But UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel called a timeout, and had two more timeouts left, signaling, "We are NOT done playing." So Carroll said, fine, let's play then. And they did. Good for them.
I don't think it's bad sportsmanship. Everyone talks about this, but two weeks ago Stanford went for a 2 point conversion on a 27 point lead. I think Carroll was just trying to redeem himself.