The Jackson State Tigers mascot was handed a slap down by the refs on Sunday, after inexplicably jumping into a touchdown scrum with the players.

During Sunday’s season opener with the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, Jackson State quarterback Jalon Jones threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Warren Newman. The 150-pound Sophomore made the catch for the score. But that didn’t stop a few Wildcats players from jumping in to grab the ball just in case it was called otherwise.

That’s when Jackson mascot “Wavee Dave” jumped into action. In his tiger suit, sporting a number seven jersey, Dave jumped in to pull Wildcats safety Tydarius Peters off of Warren Newman.

It was a spate of enthusiasm that the referees could not quite understand:

"Unsportsmanlike conduct, Jackson State mascot for coming onto the field." This actually happened 😅 pic.twitter.com/jjBL12XCg3 — ESPN (@espn) September 1, 2019

As you can see by the video, ol’ Wavee Dave was not the least bit contrite over the incident.

Ultimately, Dave was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. The refs also moved the Tigers backward on the next kickoff.

Despite Dave’s élan, the Tigers fell apart after that play. Despite scoring without the help of their mascot, the Wildcats came back with four straight touchdowns and beat the Tigers 35-15.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.