Despite the fake punt being called back, Notre Dame football had fans fired up for just how cool the play looked.
The Notre Dame football season is thriving, to the point that they’re executing special teams plays flawlessly—or at least ones that appear perfect in execution.
The Irish were searching for a boost against the Virginia Cavaliers early in the first half. Both teams struggled to find their rhythm; Notre Dame was having difficulty generating offense against an underwhelming opponent, while the Cavaliers were stymied simply due to the Irish’s superior performance.
Then, Notre Dame sparked some excitement with a well-executed fake punt that captured the attention of the entire sport, even though it didn’t count.
Notre Dame football pulls off insane trick play, and then has it called back
On a 4th-and-6 from their own 27-yard line, Notre Dame executed a fake punt, with senior linebacker Jack Kiser taking the snap and handing off to sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison. Kiser went one way while Faison went the other, creating misdirection that left Faison with an open field. He avoided one tackle on his way to a 73-yard touchdown run.
The crowd at Notre Dame Stadium erupted in cheers, only to go wild again when the play was called back.
After several minutes of discussion among the officials, an illegal formation penalty was assessed against the Irish. The NBC broadcast team speculated that because Kiser took the snap close to the center, the offensive linemen had to be wearing numbers 50-79 to be considered legally positioned. In a standard punt formation, linemen can wear any numbers.
Regardless of the reasoning or its correctness, the team drew energy from the crowd, and head coach Marcus Freeman expressed his frustration in a way he hadn’t this season. This fueled the Irish as they surged forward.
“It was an interpretation of the rule,” Freeman explained after the game. “I told the refs that after I calmed down, I wanted to discuss how we interpret the rule. We were in shotgun, which we thought was permissible, but they stated, ‘No, you can’t do that in the special teams formation you’re in.’”
Ultimately, the overturned call sparked the Notre Dame team, leading them to force a turnover after they had to punt following the penalty. They went on to build a commanding 35-0 lead and never looked back. Now, they prepare for their next game against Army, where they aim to demonstrate they are as strong as they appear.
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