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Rutgers Pulled Off Incredible 'Fake Tush Push' During Bowl Game

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Dec 27, 2024 2:19 PM ET

The Philadelphia Eagles turned the "Tush Push" play into such a guaranteed play that countless other teams have tried adding it to their offenses. But in yesterday's Rate Bowl game between Rutgers and Kansas State, Rutgers tried a different spin on it.

Leading 31-29 early in the fourth quarter, the Scarlet Knights had the ball at 2nd-and-1 from the Wildcats' one-yard line. Rutgers set up in the Tush Push formation and appeared ready to run the ball up the gut for a touchdown attempt with the Wildcats ready to try and defend.

But when Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis snapped the ball he only faked moving forward before slipping the ball behind him and into the waiting hands of running back Antwan Raymond, who took the disguised handoff up the left side untouched for a touchdown.

Check it out:

RUTGERS WITH THE FAKE TUSH PUSH pic.twitter.com/zmqpR3JfaS
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 27, 2024

Fans couldn't help but marvel at the ingenuity here:

"That was a genius play. Don't like the tush push in college or NFL," one user conceded.

"Superb play, one of my favorites of the entire game," wrote another.

"It’s honestly crazy it took this long for someone to run a play like that," a third wrote.

PHOENIX, AZ - DECEMBER 26: Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back Antwan Raymond (21) runs the ball during the Rate Bowl college football game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Kansas State Wildcats on December 26, 2024 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Unfortunately for the Scarlet Knights, their fourth-quarter trickery wasn't enough to hold off the Wildcats. Kansas State scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives of 85 and 60 yards while Rutgers netted just 17 yards on eight plays. The Wildcats went on to win 44-41 as Kansas State finishes with a 9-4 record while Rutgers finishes at 7-6.

Nevertheless, that fake tush push was a clever move and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca should be pretty darn proud of it.

Fans are even starting to speculate that NFL coaches could start implementing it in a matter of days:

"Chiefs 100% running this in the next couple of weeks. Andy Reid loves taking stuff from college and putting his own twist on it," one mused.

"Don’t let Ben Johnson see this," another begged.

"How long until Andy Reid pulls this out in the playoffs?" a third wondered.

Well done.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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