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Lincoln Riley responds to Big Ten statement on fake punt

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax3 hours agoBarkleyTruax
Lincoln Riley, USC
© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Big Ten stated after USC‘s Week 11 matchup vs. Northwestern on Friday night that a unique fake punt should have been penalized. Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is now pushing back against the conference’s statement.

The Trojans swapped their punter, Sam Johnson, who wears the No. 80 jersey, with third-string quarterback Sam Huard during a punt early in the second quarter. Huard would complete a 10-yard pass on 4th & 6 to keep their drive alive. The Big Ten claimed this to be illegal, but now Riley is pushing back.

“The fake punt was entirely legal,” Riley told local media after practice on Tuesday. “Our guys did a fantastic job of executing it. And there’s not really a whole lot else to say.”

While the drive would go on to result in a touchdown, the play didn’t have a massive impact on the game’s final outcome. USC defeated Northwestern 38-17 after outscoring the Wildcats 17-3 across the second half.

Still, the Big Ten released its statement citing the NCAA rulebook, explaining why a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty should have been assessed. They specifically cited “unfair tactics” as the main reason for why it should have been a penalty.

“NCAA Football Playing Rule 9, Section 2, Article 2 is labeled ‘Unfair Tactics,’ with paragraph ‘d’ stating: ‘Two players playing the same position may not wear the same number during the game,'” the statement read, in part. “If a foul was identified when #80 (Johnson) entered the game as a punter, a Team Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty would have been assessed, resulting in a 15-yard penalty from the previous spot. The Big Ten will continue to review the situation with both institutions.”

Whether USC got away with one or not appears to be up to personal perspective. However, the Trojans are certainly leaning into the moment as a joke. On Wednesday, USC posted a hilarious video with both Sam Huard and Sam Johnson getting confused at a coffee shop who called out an order for “Sam, No. 80” and both of them grabbed it.

The win propelled to Trojans to 7-2 on the season, setting up a matchup against No. 21 Iowa at home this weekend. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and will air live on the Big Ten Network.

The Trojans will round out its regular season with matchups on the road against a top-10 Oregon team, and at home vs. bitter rival UCLA.