There’s a lot of college football played over the course of any given season, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more bonkers play than what South Dakota State and Southern Illinois delivered in the Missouri Valley on Saturday. The undefeated Jackrabbits took on the Salukis in what was widely considered a top matchup in FCS action, and it turned out to be a barnburner.
The play of the game, however, came at the expense of the Salukis after attempting some trickery in the red zone. Trailing 20-14 late in the third quarter, Southern Illinois running back Javon Williams Jr. took a carry on 4th and 2 at the 2 and looked like he was going to throw the ball into the end zone. An open man never materialized, however, and he tried his best to reach the end zone in the more traditional sense, position-wise.
What ensued was nothing short of chaos.
Our emotions are all over the place right now.
Long story short, TOUCHDOWN JACKS!!!#GoJacks 🐰 pic.twitter.com/8xJmmnmHEj
— SDSU Football (@GoJacksFB) October 9, 2021
Williams was hit just before the end zone and sent flying. He also lost the football, which was picked up by Malik Lofton. He took off the other way, racing down the field for a 97-yard touchdown that put the Jackrabbits up 28-14. As the announcer indicated, there were flags all over the field but none of them impacted the fact that this play happened and also stood as called.
Incredibly, this play was just part of a wild back-and-forth game that saw the Salukis win in overtime, 42-41. In conclusion: college football rules, man.
