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