The Rate Bowl featured something that’s not often seen before, and college football fans across the country reacted in excitement. In true to college football fashion, bowl season has officially lived up to the hype.
Epic Fake Tush Push Results in Touchdown in Rate Bowl
The 2024 edition of the Rate Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, pitted the Kansas State Wildcats and Rutgers Scarlet Knights against each other in what would turn out to be a barnburner.
The over/under was 50.5 — that was blown away early in the third quarter.
The most memorable score came one minute into the fourth quarter, with the Scarlet Knights leading 34-29, facing a 2nd-and-goal from the Wildcats’ 1-yard-line. On first down, Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis ran a “Tush Push.”
tush push blind handoff easy TD pic.twitter.com/6t2mZHlZNt
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 27, 2024
Brought back in recent years and perfected by the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, the Tush Push is basically an all-out quarterback sneak. The offensive linemen line up as close as possible to each other. Oftentimes, an extra lineman or two will also be on the line of scrimmage, creating a lengthier wall of bodies. The other three or four players line up in the backfield, surrounding the quarterback, who lines up under center.
Once the ball is snapped, something more so resembling a rugby scrum occurs, with bodies pushing together, fighting for leverage — and most of the time, only one yard.
It’s a tough play for the defense to stop, but on first down, Kansas State did just.
While the first attempt didn’t succeed, Kaliakmanis and the Scarlet Knights lined up and appeared ready to try for a second time.
Think again.
While Rutgers’ center Gus Zilinskas snapping the ball to Kaliakmanis was proper Tush Push activity, it’s what the quarterback did next that strayed from normalcy.
Kaliakmanis slipped the ball to running back Antwan Raymond, who snuck around the left side of the line and leaped into the end zone in celebration.
The tush push fake is INSANEEEEEEEE
— Sharp Football Analysis (@SharpFBAnalysis) December 27, 2024
Kaliakmanis’s genius play and deft ball-handling amazed college football fans on X, with one simply writing, “INSANE.”
Legendary ✨
— aka𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘆 💎💜 (@akaFoley) December 27, 2024
Another simply remarked that it was ‘legendary’ during the Rate Bowl.
Every OC in America has a new play for the playbook
— mtolbert (@mb_tolbert) December 27, 2024
And one more speculated that offensive coordinators just got a new favorite play call in short-yardage situations.
Unfortunately for Raymond — who scored two more touchdowns in addition to the trick-play score — and the Scarlet Knights, Kansas State mounted a huge fourth-quarter comeback, pulling out a 44-41 win.
Despite the loss, this play will be remembered by college football fans — and used by other coaches across the country.
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