Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer decides to execute a fake punt deep in his own territory against rival Michigan. It did not work at all.
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer had said that he would call a fake punt against the arch rival Michigan Wolverines if they showed a certain coverage formation. Michigan showed that specific punt coverage formation and Ohio State decided to run the fake punt.
The only problem was that Meyer called the trick play from Ohio State’s own 19-yard line and punter Cameron Johnston didn’t get it. He was tackled three yards short of the first down and Michigan received the ball on a turnover on downs.
austink: Fake punt fail ABC College Football: Michigan at Ohio State https://t.co/ISCEC3EWf1 pic.twitter.com/lwVVgVDWju
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) November 26, 2016
That gamble was immensely costly for the Buckeyes. Michigan would be in outstanding field position already up 10-7 on their rival Ohio State. The Wolverines would chew up 2:29 on the clock and on the fifth play of the drive, quarterback Wilton Speight would find Khalid Hill for an eight-yard touchdown. Michigan would take a 17-7 lead on Ohio State after the successful PAT.
This game means everything for so many reasons. The Game is one of college football’s biggest rivalries. The winner of The Game likely makes it to the 2017 College Football Playoff. Michigan would win the Big Ten East and would play the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2016 Big Ten Championship.
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Ohio State would need a Penn State Nittany Lions loss to the Michigan State Spartans to get to Indianapolis to play Wisconsin. However, a one-loss Buckeyes team would be a very compelling team to get an at-large bid into the 2017 College Football Playoff. Calling a fake punt on the 19-yard line definitely didn’t help the Buckeyes’ quest to potentially get to Tampa.