Colorado State fans draw 15-yard penalty for throwing snowballs on field vs. Air Force

Snowmen line the wall as fans deal with a winter storm sweeping over the intermountain west as Colorado State hosts Air Force in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Fort Collins, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Fans made snowmen in the stands during Colorado State's loss to No. 19 Air Force on Saturday. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Some Colorado State fans drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for their team Saturday night.

The Rams hosted in-state rival Air Force as a snowstorm hit Fort Collins during the game. A few CSU fans were having too much fun with the snow and started throwing snowballs on the field with such regularity that officials called a 15-yard penalty on Colorado State at the start of the third quarter when the game was tied 13-13.

That was quite the polite penalty announcement, don’t you think?

The penalty played a big role in the outcome of the game, too. It turned a second down into a first down at the Air Force 49 yard-line, and the No. 19 Falcons scored a touchdown later in the drive to take a 20-13 lead.

Colorado State went scoreless in the second half as the Falcons improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Mountain West with a 30-13 win. Air Force has been the best Group of Five team so far this season and is currently in line to go to its first New Year’s Six bowl game.

The Rams, meanwhile, are 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the Mountain West. CSU needs to go 3-1 over its final four games to get to a bowl game.