James Madison sophomore quarterback Alonza Barnett III executed the most ridiculous flop we have ever seen during Saturday night's season opener against Charlotte.
It happened with 8:22 remaining in regulation as JMU held a 23-7 lead. After an offensive play, Charlotte senior defensive lineman Dre Butler was angry and pushed Barnett in the chest. To make sure he drew enough attention, Barnett fell back to the ground, did a reverse somersault, then threw himself into a sideways roll before sitting up and collapsing on the ground. For further emphasis, offensive lineman Joseph Simmons came over to push on his heart in order to "resuscitate" him.
JMU QB Alonza Barnett III with the early flop of the season 😅 pic.twitter.com/SoRTkCBWHH
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 1, 2024
Ultimately, Barnett was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, along with Butler for the push that sent him into motion, so the penalties offset.
Only recently have rules changed in sports to discourage players from flopping to draw penalties. In this case, Barnett's flop was completely unnecessary because the foul was called on Butler, so they lost out on a free 15 yards. However, the flop was completely hilarious due to Barnett's over-the-top acting. A simple fall to the ground would have sufficed.
Barnett threw for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns with one interception while also running for 89 yards. The JMU Dukes beat the Charlotte 49ers 30-7.
[@ESPNCFB]
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.
