KEEPING THE SPORT UNDER CONTROL • It was great watching the NFL on TV last night. Watching the guys fly around. Making great plays. Seeing new players and plays. Finding some comfort that even though the regular season is still a few weeks away, the referees are in midseason form.

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• Has anyone else noticed the Seahawks lost? As if that mattered. But we laughed at how they lost. A last-second field goal from 46 yards. As Brayden Narveson’s cleat drifted further and further to the left on its way to the goal posts, we couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if there had been a penalty.

Yes, we almost always focus too much on the refereeing. We admit that. But when Mason Rudolph led the host Tennessee Titans down the field one last time on Saturday, we were confident that something unexpected would happen that would decide the game. It’s in the DNA of the league. And it did.

The play in question? Rudolph spotted a Seahawks blitz and burst through the vacated middle of the defense with just over a minute left in the game. Tennessee was still at midfield. Marquis Blair, the veteran safety, was on the field trying to secure a spot on the roster. He quickly closed in on Rudolph and tried to limit the damage. He saw the quarterback go into a late slide and tried to evade it, twisting his body in a strange way to do just that.

A 10-yard run wasn’t enough for Rudolph, who was trying to secure a spot on the 53-man roster himself. The veteran slid to his left and tried to call a penalty on Blair. Contact was made. There shouldn’t have been. But it wasn’t enough for a flag, even as the rest of the crowd begged for one. Then, about 3 seconds into the play, something yellow was thrown from deep in the secondary.

As replays showed what had happened and then something else surprising happened, a group of Frank Steratore’s team, including Steratore as referee, gathered to discuss the play. And we wondered if, with the game on the line, they would have the courage to push the Titans back 15 yards.

What the replay showed was that Rudolph, the former Steelers starter, lost it. Blair must have said something. Maybe he called Rudolph out for a slide that got Blair’s legs pulled out from under him. Or something like that. Whatever it was, Rudolph took offense. And while still sitting on the turf, he threw the ball at Blair. That’s a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, folks, one that gets called all the time in NFL games. And probably the reason for the late flag. Or maybe not.

Steratore and his guys talked for a while. Finally, he broke away and announced that there would be no penalty for Blair’s contact. The fans booed. But the unsportsmanlike conduct? That was simply ignored.

So what? It’s preseason. It’s time for everyone to get back into the swing of things. The officials will get it sorted in a few weeks. I’m sure they will.

When Narveson’s kick went wide of the left upright about 80 seconds later, we couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if he had had to make the kick from 55 yards out. Oh, sure, the rookie had already scored from 55 yards out, so he’s got the leg. And who knows what would have happened on the final few plays if the Titans had been set back because of Rudolph’s tantrum. We wonder how a flag there would affect Tennessee’s roster decisions, as the veteran quarterback has once again shown he may not be trustworthy.

That’s how close the chances are in the NFL. In this league, thousands of players are fighting for hundreds of spots. Musical chairs with real-world consequences. Unless you’re responsible for making decisions about the plays on the field.

Just think. It’s only a few weeks until a game like Saturday night’s will be shown on your screen again and again. There will be arguments about the decision. Yelling, screaming. For, against. Anything but the ambivalence that was expressed last night.

People with worthless tickets complain online. Others cash in their tickets and quietly walk away. Some guy at Fox will blame it on an anonymous official in the NFL’s New York offices that no one has ever heard of. An ESPN commentator will point out that the same thing happened 73 times and pull a flag. The folks at NFL Network will run a story about a kid who brought the ball to Narveson’s team. Rudolph’s throw will become an Instagram meme.

And seven days later, Scott Hanson shows us 1,927,301 highlights and we forget everything.

We can hardly wait. How about you?

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WSU: It’s a big day in Pullman – even though nothing is happening. Wait, that didn’t come across right. Nothing happens on the field. The Cougars football team has the day off. But the lights are on in the coaches’ offices. A decision will be made. Jake Dickert, Ben Arbuckle and maybe one or two others will come together and decide who will be the starting quarterback. The rest of us will sit patiently and wait for smoke to rise from the building’s chimney. Will it be John Mateer? Zevi Eckhaus? The old veteran, yet to be announced? One thing is for sure? Saturday’s scrimmage — photographed by Tyler Tjomsland — is just part of what the coaching staff will consider in making its decision. Greg Woods covered all of that in this story this morning. … Yes, we know that decision is on your mind. But instead of complaining about the black smoke being released this morning, focus on what’s really important. Life. Family. Resilience. Finding your way. Greg covers all of that today in this must-read story about linebacker Kyle Thornton and his mom. Didn’t the picture we showed above, of Thornton looking about 14, entice you to follow the link? For us, it did just that. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 (new and old), Jon Wilner at the Mercury News is trying to predict the ACC football rankings. … We’ll try to link all of Saturday’s scrimmage games, but start with the Pac-12’s other member, Oregon State. The Beavers’ defense is still ahead as new coach Trent Bray prepares to name a starting quarterback, just like the other Pac-12 school. … The numbers stories on the Oregonian’s website continue. The paper ranks Oregon State and Oregon at No. 14. … Yes, Washington held a “mock game” on Saturday, whatever that is. Wouldn’t one have to try to mimic the game experience, involve a crowd, something that wasn’t done yesterday at Husky Stadium? Dealing with everything that a crowd of 70,000 brings would be crucial to seeing how players respond. Carson Bruener is well aware of that and is handling it like the veteran he is. … Oregon held another scrimmage, and Dan Lanning was glad to see some kinks ironed out. The Ducks are still dealing with major and minor injuries. … Yes, recruiting never stops. … Is there a better name for a defensive lineman in college football than Bear Alexander? The USC veteran is hoping for a better year. … A UCLA player hopes to become the workhorse running back. … The new quarterback coach has hit it off with his students in Arizona. … In the Mountain West, we can pass along scrimmage stories from Utah State, Boise State, Hawaii (as well as a column on their game-planning practices) and Air Force. … New Mexico needs a new athletic director. … Can Colorado State secure a bowl berth this season?

Idaho: The Vandals’ receivers are a young bunch, as Peter Harriman tells us in this story, which also covers UI’s scrimmage game on Saturday. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Weber State’s tight ends consider themselves a group of “journeymen.” … Former Montana head coach Bob Stitt currently runs a high school offense.

Indians: Vancouver came to Spokane for this late-summer series after being dominated by the Indians all season in the Northwest League. But after yesterday’s 5-4 win at Avista, the Canadians are assured of at least a tie in the six games. Dave Nichols was there to report on the match. … Elsewhere in the NWL, Hillsboro edged host Eugene 5-4 and Everett dominated Tri-City 11-5 in a game that was ended early by yesterday’s thunderstorms on the West Side.

Zephyr: A sold-out crowd at ONE Spokane Stadium. An early goal. A great night? Well, all that was missing from the Zephyr franchise’s first game against Fort Lauderdale United FC was a win. The visitors scored a late goal to earn a 1-1 draw. Colton Clark witnessed the first USL Super League in Spokane history and has that story to tell. Kathy Plonka adds a photo gallery.

Seahawks: Sure, the Hawks lost. But did you see Easop Winston Jr.’s touchdown catch? It reminded us of his time at Washington State. It came after a perfect pass from Sam Howell, who definitely showed he’s ready for whatever he has to do this season. … With the game remaining exciting until the final seconds, Mike Macdonald was able to practice end-of-game scenarios for the head coach for the first time in a game, exhibition or not.

Seafarers: Five losses in a row. Fourteen strikeouts. Six games behind Houston in the loss column. Numbers like Saturday’s 7-2 result in Pittsburgh aren’t doing the M’s any favors right now. As if the offensive players ever would. You want another number? The chances of making the playoffs are getting smaller by the day. … Cal Raleigh is more than a catcher. He’s also a leader.

Echo sounders: Okay, a place in the top eight of the Leagues Cup tournament is nothing to be sniffed at. (One note: In times of pandemic, should we retire the phrase “not to be sniffed at,” since it has more meaning today than it used to?) But if Seattle had only been on the other side of the standings from LAFC, the Sounders probably would have finished second. They haven’t beaten their Los Angeles rivals in the quarterfinals, the championship, or anywhere else. Not these days. The 3-0 loss just seemed preordained.

Motor Sports: Doug Pace reports Sunday about a Spokane man who is eyeing his third consecutive motorcycle championship.

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• We mentioned Saturday We’d be talking about the M’s today. We lied. We know they lost again. Fell further behind in the American League West. We’re just not able to muster the outrage we expected. This team’s mistakes are well known. Since about May 1. It’s not like the front office hasn’t tried to fix them. Within the franchise’s self-imposed limits, of course. It didn’t work. Football season starts soon. Nobody will care anymore. Maybe we can muster some outrage tomorrow. Maybe not. See you later…