Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler was deep into his bag in the 68 Ventures Bowl on Thursday night.
Trailing 10–0 in the first quarter against Arkansas State and facing a fourth-and-20 near midfield, Loeffler dialed up a fake punt. And despite the Red Wolves opting to line up in a normal defensive formation and not attempting to block the punt, the Falcons converted and scored a touchdown on a perfect 43-yard pass to a wide-open Malcolm Johnson Jr. streaking down the field.
But wait, there’s more.
🚨 FAKE PUNT TD ALERT! 🚨@BG_Football | @68VenturesBowl | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/cz6cNyWGIV
— MACtion (@MACSports) December 27, 2024
It wasn’t actually punter John Henderson who threw the pass—as the ESPN broadcast initially noted. It was third-string quarterback Baron May who lined up as the punter on the play—and he went all-out in disguising himself as the Falcons’ normal punter.
As Bowling Green alum Brett Gibbons pointed out on social media, May wore white leg sleeves and tucked his towel in the same position as Henderson. He also wore jersey No. 8 all season, but on Thursday night, May was rocking No. 18—looking pretty similar to Henderson’s No. 19 jersey.
I cannot believe this. Give STC Alex Bayer a lifetime contract. All-time move here pic.twitter.com/2foRlD0Xbe
— Brett Gibbons (@roadtocfb) December 27, 2024
No wonder that punter had such a cannon.
It was quite a first half for Bowling Green’s special teams, as the Falcons allowed a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the first quarter but punched back with their creative fake punt touchdown. Bowling Green kicker Zach Long also missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt to close out the half.
At halftime, the Falcons trailed the Red Wolves 24–21.
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