KSU laughs off blunder

Sometimes you think you’ve seen it all – and then one play in a Division I college football game shows you’re way off-base.

Kansas University coach Mark Mangino is sympathetic, but Kansas State coach Bill Snyder is using humor to cover any embarrassment that might come from such a bizarre blunder during KSU’s game last week against Oklahoma.

During the first quarter of OU’s 43-21 victory, Kansas State was in punt formation on its own 12-yard line. The ball was snapped blindly out of the end zone for a Sooner safety, mainly because the Kansas State punter was standing on the sideline.

The snap was to nobody.

“There was a reward if anybody in the stands caught it,” Snyder quipped. “We’d give him a free trip back to Manhattan.”

Like anybody, Mangino had an initial reaction when seeing the play on tape: He laughed.

“But that chuckle didn’t last very long,” Mangino said. “When you’re dealing with 18-to-22-year-old kids, it might be them Saturday. It could be us next Saturday.”

The mix-up was a result of punter Tim Reyer being caught daydreaming, watching a replay of the previous play on the Jumbotron. The play reportedly was designed to be a quick snap, meaning long snapper Jeff Mortimer would snap the ball once the up-back yelled.

The up-back did yell – to not snap the ball. Mortimer didn’t distinguish the difference, and the rest is hilarious history.

To Reyer’s credit, he’s been able to tease himself about the brain fart. He spoke with the KSU media Tuesday and was a good sport about the whole situation.

“It’s a little funny, but it still sucks,” Reyer told the Wichita Eagle. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen that before, and I feel kind of dumb for being a part of it.”