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ACC return man makes brutal blunder on kickoff

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

The kick return game in college football can produce some tricky decisions for return men. However, the fair catch rule has been designed to help make some of those decisions easier.

Nowadays, a fair catch on a kick return inside the 25-yard line results in a touchback and will start a possession on the 25-yard line. Previously, only a kneel-down in the end zone resulted in a touchback.

What’s the catch to the new rule? Well, players actually have to call for a fair catch as they do on punts, and kneel-downs in the field of play do not qualify for a touchback.

Unfortunately, Virginia’s kick returner was apparently foggy on the details. After receiving a kickoff late in the first half against Georgia Tech, he took a knee at his own 3-yard line.

Ouch:

Fortunately for the Cavs, the team was able to avoid disaster and run the clock out to get to halftime.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.