DURHAM – What happens when a practice-field joke — a coach prodding his quarterback in the middle of the week — gets taken too far?

Well, you saw it Saturday night.

Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy was shown on ACC Network extending both middle fingers toward Blue Devil Tower (and the camera, as it were) after throwing an 86-yard touchdown to Eli Pancol on Duke’s first offensive play Saturday night.

It wasn’t toward fans, nor was it even malicious. It was toward offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer.

Here was the explanation from coach Manny Diaz on Monday:

“There was a practice in the middle of last week when we were throwing post after post after post and we weren’t completing them. And it was again and again and again,” Diaz said. “At the end of that, there was a remark that was made in jest that, ‘If you throw a post for a touchdown in the game, then you can flick me off.’

“It was from Coach Brewer, but this was just banter, it was a joke, type of deal.”

Here’s what it looked like:

In the emotions of connecting with Pancol for an 86-yard touchdown on the first play, and on a play that sounds like it was difficult for the Blue Devils to nail down during practices, Murphy threw up a two-handed callback to Brewer’s joke.

“Really, me getting after him in a drill period when we were working on a specific look,” Brewer said. “It’s something we hit the first play of the game, we knew it would have a chance to be a touchdown. Some things you say on the field (aren’t) meant to be taken literally. … Obviously, it’s a huge mistake.”

Obviously less than ideal for Duke’s optics; but hardly as malicious as it seemed.

“We talk about emotional toughness being one of the hallmarks of our program and not letting our feelings dictate our actions,” Diaz said. “But the feelings of joy and euphoria in that moment (overrode) Maalik’s rational mind and did something that’s unacceptable in our program and doesn’t represent who we are at Duke football.”

Diaz said the rest of the matter would be “handled, disciplined internally.”