North Dakota punter Luke Silvernale was able to recover after a fumbled snap to deliver an amazing punt during Saturday's 2024 season opener against Iowa State.
It happened with under five minutes remaining in the third quarter as UND had 4th-and-5 on their own 47-yard line with Iowa State holding a 14-3 lead. Silvernale was lined up on the 32-yard line but dropped the snap on the ground. He bobbled the ball as he tried to pick it up and it rolled behind him, forcing him to turn his back to the line of scrimmage as he grabbed it. Since an Iowa State defender was rushing up on him fast, Silvernale did not have time to line up, so he just kicked it fast to get rid of it.
The ball did not go very high, but took some very lucky bounces. It bounced first at the Iowa State 40-yard line, then bounced to the 22-yard line, and rolled all the way down to the 4-yard line where it was downed. Silvernale managed to avoid taking a big loss and giving Iowa State great field position, and instead managed to kick a 49-yard punt to pin Iowa State deep in their own territory.
THIS MAY THE GREATEST PUNT EVER#ForTheBrand pic.twitter.com/S9Uy1KOB24
— IcyVert (@IcyVert) August 31, 2024
The best part about this was Silvernale's calm reaction as he returned to the sidelines, acting like it was no big deal and he was just doing his job.
It's tough for a punter to go viral these days at any level, but Silvernale deserves his props for executing a clutch play under pressure. He punted four times in the game for a 39.3 average.
Unfortunately, the poor field position did not stop the Cyclones, who drove 96 yards to score a touchdown and take a commanding 21-3 lead, which would end up the final score. Still, you don't see too many punts like the one Silvernale delivered today.
[@IcyVert]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
