Aussie’s brilliant trick play stuns American crowd of 104,000
Australia’s Oscar Bird stunned a monster, parochial crowd of 104,306 with a brilliant fake punt play at the University of Texas at Austin at the weekend.
The Texas Longhorns - quarterbacked by hotshot NFL prospect Arch Manning - held a dominant 24-3 lead over Bird’s Ole Miss Rebels late in the first half of the glamour college football clash.
Oscar Bird produced a brilliant fake punt. X
Faced with a fourth and six deep in their own territory, punter Bird was summoned to, presumably, launch the pig-skin into Texas’ half.
The 25-year-old shaped to kick while sizing up the defensive coverage and then taking off for a 17 yard (15.5m) scamper down the right sideline to earn his side a fresh set of downs (watch the video at the top of the page).
A pumped-up Bird leapt in the air and punched his fist in delight before his teammates mobbed him in celebration - and sent social media into a frenzy.
The big-gamble play gave the Rebels a much-needed spark, and led to a stirring comeback in front of the fourth-largest crowd in the stadium’s history.
But Texas held on for a 34-27 victory, with Manning rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for another.
The 22-year-old is grandson to Archie Manning, and nephew of Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, all three former NFL quarterbacks.
Manning’s ascension to NFL stardom has therefore seemed destined since he was in high school while Bird is hoping a wildly different journey can get him there.
Bird was an aspiring AFL player before making the switch aged 22, a member of the Sydney Swans before spending three seasons with the Perth Demons in the WAFL.
“I felt silly for the first few months of starting it because I wasn’t at the level that I would be with an Australian football,” Bird told Yahoo Sports last year.
“But with time and just knowing that there’s been Australians who’ve come before me and done really well at it, you just stick at it.”
Sports Illustrated highlighted Bird’s talents in an article last week, with a subheading titled: ‘The Australian Invasion has Revolutionised Punting.’
Tory Taylor of the Chicago Bears punts. Getty
“With the Chicago Bears, (Tory) Taylor has drawn attention for his so-called “banana ball” punts, which move unpredictably through the air instead of following a conventional trajectory,” it read.
“The unusual flight can make the ball more difficult for returners to track and catch cleanly… Bird’s game at Ole Miss has centred more on distance and placement than the distinctive trajectory associated with Taylor…
“While Oscar Bird may be far from home, the Rebels could not be happier with the talents of their Aussie specialist.”
