Football is a game built on tactical innovation, and No. 24 UNLV did its part Wednesday at the LA Bowl.
Facing a 4th-and-7 against Cal in the second quarter, the Rebels completely fooled the Golden Bears with a novel form of fake punt. Rather than risk a run or throw out a quick pass, they had right gunner Cameron Oliver cut inside while the rest of the punt team ran downfield.
Cal sent eight blockers at punter Marshall Nichols, leaving Oliver wide open for a shovel pass with a flotilla of blockers in front of him. The result was a 52-yard gain.
Quarterback Jacob De Jesus made the fake count one play later with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Hajj-Malik Williams to take a 14-10 lead.
Veteran football fans might see that play and have the words “ineligible receiver downfield” blare into their heads, but UNLV avoided a play-killing penalty by having Oliver run behind the line of scrimmage. In college football, there is no ineligible player downfield penalty if the pass is caught behind the line of scrimmage.
So the NFL isn’t going to be copying this play anytime soon. But as for the rest of the college ranks, well, we’ll see if any College Football Playoff teams take notice and are feeling frisky in a week or two.