Kalani Sitake Takes Blame for Failed BYU Fake Punt Against Notre Dame

BYU was cruising at the start of the second half against Notre Dame. Up 21-10, BYU was about to get the ball back near midfield before a muffed punt gave the ball back to Notre Dame. While the defense held the Fighting Irish to just a field goal, the momentum of the game turned at the muffed punt.

On the ensuing possession, BYU's offense went three-and-out for the first time in the game and was about to punt the ball back to Notre Dame. The momentum had officially turned and Notre Dame was fighting back into the game.

That's when BYU made a head-scratching decision, to say the least, to fake a punt on 4th & 5 from deep in their own territory. BYU punter Fuller Shurtz was met well behind the line of scrimmage by a host of Notre Dame defenders. The play, frankly, had no opportunity to succeed.

After the game, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake shouldered the blame for the decision. According to Sitake, BYU saw something on film and tried to take advantage of it. Instead, Notre Dame baited them into the fake.

"The fake punt, that's on me," Sitake said. "We thought we had a good call in there and, you know, Notre Dame had a better one so I think they baited us a little bit and probably those guys know that we're a little aggressive and trying to find extra spots to make plays and and to get possessions."

The failed punt was the third failed punt in BYU territory in as many tries. The Cougars failed a fake punt in the Big 12 championship against Texas Tech when the score was 10-7. They also failed a fake punt on the road against Arizona on a play that turned the momentum in Arizona's favor.

The decision was especially head-scratching considering how well BYU's defense was playing. Notre Dame was struggling to run the football and the Cougars were getting off the field on third downs. The fake punt gifted the Fighting Irish with premier field position.

Sitake noted that the fake punt was too risky given the situation.

"I need to do a better job at leading and managing the game and not put us in risky positions like I did tonight," Sitake said. "I'll learn from it."

The Cougars held on to beat Notre Dame 28-24 in a historic win for the program. If Notre Dame would have won that game, the fake punt would have been under even more scrutiny and would have directly impacted the outcome.Fortunately for BYU, they have the chance to learn from their mistakes in a win. Over the last few weeks, there have been a series of special teams miscues that will need to be cleaned up if BYU hopes to accomplish its goals.

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