BYU tries one of the strangest fake punts of all time, whiffs

By Zack Pierce
Published

Facing a fourth-and-19 from their own 5-yard line during the second quarter of Thursday's showdown with No. 14 Boise State, BYU did the logical thing — lined up to punt.

What followed was anything but logical. The Cougars attempted a fake, and the most basic fake of all, featuring punter Jonny Linehan receiving the snap and attempting to run with it, from out of his own end zone, needing to cover about a third of the field to convert. It went about as well as you'd expect:

Linehan caught the snap about nine yards deep in his end zone, meaning he would've needed to scamper about 33 yards in total to get the first down. He made it all of 11 yards, getting to the 2 and barely avoiding a safety.

The play instantly made those watching scratch their heads. BYU was hanging tough with the mighty Broncos, down just 14-10 at the time. With over 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, it was hardly time for such a desperate move as that.

At the halftime break, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake attempted to explain the thinking behind the play, saying, "On film, we thought we had it. Want to be aggressive. We came to win the game. It just didn't work out. They made a great adjustment. ... And it didn't hurt us. Our defense had our backs."

And he's right! It didn't hurt them. Boise State could not capitalize despite being gifted the ball at the 2-yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty backed the Broncos up 15 yards, then after two short runs and an incomplete pass, they missed the short field goal attempt. Still, the decision seems bizarre.

The game stayed crazy from there. The Cougars entered the game just 4-3 but gave undefeated and still-playoff-hopeful Boise State all it could handle, taking a six-point lead into the fourth quarter. Boise State would later score to retake the lead. Down one in the final seconds, BYU drove into field goal range behind quarterback Taysom Hill, had a second-down kick attempt blocked but recovered and still had time to throw a Hail Mary as time expired. The Broncos batted it down and hung on for a 28-27 win.