Excessive celebration

I'd send out Happy New Year best wishes right now by saluting all of my faithful readers but I'm afraid I'd get an excessive celebration penalty.

Seriously, the fact that a college bowl game was decided because a referee literally interpreted a rule and decided that a salute to the crowd was thus a penalty is an absolute shame. I've already seen plays in the Tennessee-North Carolina bowl game which merited the same penalty, if interpreted the same way as the ref did in the Pinstripe Bowl.

In case you missed it, Kansas State scored a touchdown late in the Pinstripe Bowl to pull within two of Syracuse. Alas, the referee called the penalty and the Wildcats were forced to go for two from the 18, versus the three yard line. Their attempt failed--game over...

Shouldn't this rule be re-considered in 2011? I mean, the last time I checked, football is a game being played in college by 18-22 year old young men. I thought exuberance was a natural part of participation in a game.