A Dorito-chomping goat helped fledgling director and filmmaker Ben Callner of Decatur see his television commercial aired during the Super Bowl, but even though the spot was rated among the best, it failed to take all the chips.

The No. 1 Super Bowl commercial, as measured by USA Today’s Ad Meter, was Budweiser’s touching story of a Clydesdale hand-raised by a trainer, and the bond that endures between horse and man.

Callner’s ad, produced by Atlanta-based Pogo Pictures, was one of thousands entered in the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest, in which viewer-generated commercials competed for a chance at airtime during the big game. Two Doritos ads were broadcast during the game, the other featuring a dad playing dress-up with his daughter.

“Goat 4 Sale” was rated seventh-best among Super Bowl ads by USA Today’s 7,619 pre-registered panelists, while the other Doritos spot, “Fashionista Dad,” ranked fourth.

If either had been chosen No. 1, it would have been eligible for a $1 million prize and a chance to work with director Michael Bay on the next “Transformers” movie.

But being chosen for the broadcast during the game had its own perks. Doritos flew Callner and Pogo founder Steve Colby to New Orleans to watch the game from a Super Dome skybox.

And Mark Ashworh, the bearded Brit who plays the unlucky goat owner in the spot, found himself the recipient of applause and free whiskey when the ad came on the television at The Marlay House, the Decatur pub where he was watching the game. “It was the biggest cheer all night,” he marveled.