Saturday was a rough day for punters (Video)
Punters are known for dramatically impacting the field position battle. On Saturday, a couple punters got dramatically impacted.
With his Bulldogs leading 17-10 in the third quarter, Georgia punter Collin Barber had his punt blocked by the Tennessee's Janel Reeves-Maybin and returned for the tying score by Devaul Swafford. In his effort to try to make a stop on Swafford, Barber was leveled in a clean block by Reeves-Maybin.
Barber got to his feet quickly in the video, but he later left the game with a concussion. After the game, coach Mark Richt refused to discuss his team's injuries after running back Keith Marshall and receivers Michael Bennett and Justin Scott-Wesley were also injured. Georgia won 34-31 in overtime.
Northwestern was leading Ohio State early as Wildcat senior punter Brandon Williams awaited a snap from his own end zone. The Buckeyes sent the cavalry barrowing toward Williams and OSU cornerback Bradley Roby swooped in for the block – sending Williams tumbling and crumbling to the ground in the process. Roby fell on top the blocked punt for an Ohio State touchdown.
Ohio State beat Northwestern 40-30.
But the rough games for punters started with Kansas' Trevor Pardula, who attempted a fake punt from his own 16 yardline while the Jayhawks were tied 10-10 with Texas Tech. It predictably failed, and Kansas ended up losing 54-16.
Though on the punt bright side, Michigan State’s Mike Sadler single-handedly outrushed Iowa on a 25-yard fake punt run on the first play of the fourth quarter. The successful fake, aptly named “Hey Diddle Diddle, Send Sadler Up the Middle” according to MSU coach Mark Dantonio, set up a field goal in MSU's 26-14 win over Iowa.
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