Running up the score (or "piling on") is a sports strategy that occurs when a winning team continues to play in such a way as to score additional points after the outcome of the game is beyond doubt.
Alternatives might include pulling out most of the team's first-string players, or calling plays designed to run out the clock (e.g., in American football, kneeling or running the ball up the middle). Mercy rules are used in some amateur sports, which end the game when the score differential reaches a certain point.
In professional sports in the United States, running up the score has generally been considered controversial and has been subject to debate. In team sports in many other parts of the world, it is normal and indeed expected that professional athletes will continue to attempt to score points for as long as they have the opportunity to do so.
Those who oppose the strategy note that running up the score may be considered poor sportsmanship by fans, players, and coaches, but there have been different opinions of how big an insult running up the score is. Allegations of poor sportsmanship are also often brought up in the United States soon after a team scores multiple times near the end of a one-sided match. Running up the score can also cause injuries to a game's starting players, can lead to less game experience for non-starting and lower caliber players on the team (in cases where starters are left in a game well after the outcome is certain), and can motivate future opponents to run up the score. Players on the losing side may also end up feeling disrespected and may decide to vent their frustration through violent or unsporting play, which can lead to injuries and fights, and even potential post-game punishment such as fines or suspension from future play.
Those who favor running up the score in the United States argue there are potential benefits, such as catering to polls (when they are used to determine team rankings), getting additional experience for players, or preventing potential comebacks. In many sports, teams are incentivized to run up the score, owing to the use of goal difference (or equivalents such as net run rate) as a tiebreaker in competitions; in this case there may be less of a stigma around large score differentials.
Justifications Benefits in the BCS and other polls Some sports (especially American College sports) have used polls for determining team rankings, matches, and championships. Certain coaches are notorious for running up the score to impress coaches and sportswriters who vote in the Amway Coaches Poll or AP Poll. It is a common allegation that some poll voters simply look at box scores before punching in their votes. When the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) existed in college football, the votes had a huge impact on who went to BCS games, including the national championship. Only by watching the game or game tape (or by careful box-score scrutiny) can a coach determine if a 49–21 score was caused by a fairly one-sided game or the winning team trying to make the score look more impressive when the game's outcome was certain. The BCS computers originally included margin of victory as a component, but the BCS removed that element after noticing large increases in teams running up the score.
From the 2014 season, the BCS was replaced by the College Football Playoff (CFP). Polls do not play a role in determining CFP participants; instead, these teams are chosen by a selection committee similar to that used in the NCAA basketball tournament selection process.
Practice Some fans of teams whose coaches frequently run up the score may also note that running up the score has its advantages. Though many coaches who run up the score do it with only their first-string players, a coach who uses his third- and fourth-string players can give them vital in-game experience if he allows them to do more than, in American football, just kneel on the football or run the ball up the middle. When they are not allowed to make passing and running plays that the first- and second-stringers get to make, their skills may not develop as quickly.
Alternatively, in college sports with many players from successful teams having hopes of becoming professionals, running up the score gives players the chance to improve their statistics and to show off skills that the conventional offense would not allow. While it may be seen as poor sportsmanship, as there is no guarantee that any player will be picked for the professional leagues, every opportunity to bolster stats and impress scouts can be seen as improving the professional prospects of the players.
Gameplay It is also argued that it can be used as a preventive measure to prevent a huge comeback. In 2006, Penn State lost to Notre Dame 41–17. Notre Dame justified running up the score because Penn State was known for late comebacks. Supporters of preventively running up the score will often point to games such as the 2006 Insight Bowl where Minnesota blew a 38–7 lead in the third quarter, to eventually lose 44–41 to Texas Tech.
Improving tiebreaker qualification chances In addition, many leagues use tiebreakers if two or more teams are tied in the standings; one common tiebreaker when multiple teams are involved (such as when three teams are tied, with no team having beaten both of the others) is "point differential" (calculated as the difference between the number of points a team scores vs. the number of points a team allows against common opponents) or variations thereof, such as cricket's net run rate; "running up a score" can help their chances of winning positions and stop the other team from scoring as well (though some leagues counter that by placing a cap on the number of points which can be counted in a point differential, such as no more than 14; then, even if the score is 49–0, only 14 points will count in the tiebreaker).
Other justifications An argument frequently used in favor of running up the score is the belief that it is not the coach's or winning team's fault if a weak team is unable to stop a high-powered offensive juggernaut. Florida State coach Bobby Bowden contended that it was not his job to call plays that are inconsistent with his regular offense. He felt that the prevention of further scoring was the responsibility of the opposing team's defense. Also, some coaches advocate running up the score to make another point, such as showing disapproval of comments made by opposing players, coaches, etc., in the media.
Running up the score in professional leagues generally creates significantly less controversy and indeed the term is far less common. While there are numerous reasons to run out the clock, there is no reason not to score more points if the situation allows. As all teams are professionals, even perceived underdogs have the potential to score points quickly if they are given the chance. Even teams with a dominant lead have a strong interest in maintaining possession to run down the clock, which often puts them in the position to score more points.
At all levels of play, it is generally accepted that players or teams close to breaking significant records can run up the score without it being seen as overtly disrespectful. In fact, many offensive records almost require running up the score to be in contention as a result of records set in eras in which leagues were less balanced, seasons were of a different length, or rules were substantially different.
In one instance that did not involve the score, but where a long-established record could have easily been broken, a coach was praised for his sportsmanship. In 1999, during a 44–28 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals coach Bruce Coslet took running back Corey Dillon out of the game early in the fourth quarter. By that point, he had gained 246 yards and, had he continued playing, almost certainly would have broken Walter Payton's single-game rushing record of 275 yards. After the game, Coslet explained that since Payton, who had died the month before, had set the record in a game his team won 10–7, he did not feel it right for Dillon to break it in a game that, by the point he took the player out, became one-sided.
In American football College football
Florida In 1995, with a 38–17 lead going into the fourth quarter over Georgia, Florida head coach Steve Spurrier decided to run up the score to "hang half a hundred" on the scoreboard to humiliate their opponents on their home field, something that had never been done before. His team succeeded with a final score of 52–17. That record still stands as the most points ever scored by an opposing team at Sanford Stadium.
Georgia Tech
On October 7, 1916, Georgia Tech defeated the Cumberland College Bulldogs 222–0. Cumberland had previously disbanded their football team, but quickly formed a scrub team when faced with fines if they refused to play. Georgia Tech scored 63 points in the first quarter and 63 points in the second quarter, then 54 points in the third quarter and 42 points in the fourth. Cumberland did not record a first down during the game. Georgia Tech won under the coaching of John Heisman, who wanted revenge after an embarrassing 22–0 loss earlier that year to a Cumberland baseball team that he suspected of having used professional players posing as students.
Houston On November 23, 1968, the University of Houston defeated the University of Tulsa 100–6. Though they had a 24–0 advantage at halftime, Houston scored 11 touchdowns in the second half – including 7 in the fourth quarter – for an astounding 94-point blowout.
They came close again in 1989, routing a Southern Methodist (SMU) team fresh off the so-called death penalty in by a score of 95–21 in what could be termed as a "revenge game" after years of humiliation against its longtime Southwestern Conference rival; Houston itself was under their bowl and television ban that season as it also was being punished for past recruiting violations, meaning only those in attendance at the Astrodome witnessed the Cougars embarrass the Mustangs.
In 1990, Houston defeated Division I-AA opponent Eastern Washington University 84–21 and kept QB David Klingler playing late in the game to allow him to set NCAA records for most TD passes in a single game and a single season. Klingler threw 11 TD passes in that game, with 5 in the second half – including 2 in the fourth quarter. His final touchdown pass gave Houston a 77–14 lead with their starting QB still in the game. The next year, 1991, they would blow out Louisiana Tech University 73–3 in the opening game of the season.
Miami On November 30, 1985, the University of Miami Hurricanes were playing the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in Gerry Faust's final game as Notre Dame head coach. The Hurricanes, led by Jimmy Johnson, were trying to impress pollsters since they were ranked fourth in the polls prior to the game. The Hurricanes called a fake punt on fourth-and-11 in the fourth quarter with a 44–7 lead, scored a touchdown off a blocked punt with less than six minutes left, and went on to win 58–7. Miami was rewarded in the AP poll as it passed idle Iowa to reach No. 3 and set up a possible national championship with a victory over Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl. Receiving criticism after the game, Johnson replied, "Nobody apologized to me when Oklahoma did it", a reference to a 1980 rout by the score of 63–14 when Johnson was head coach at Oklahoma State University. Miami would go on to lose to Tennessee, 35–7, in the 1986 Sugar Bowl.
Notre Dame