Ole Miss came under fire on Saturday after it appeared that one of their players was instructed to fake an injury so the Rebels could secure a free timeout.
Ole Miss was trailing 7-3 with 6:30 remaining in the first half of their game against Kentucky at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. There looked to be some confusion before a snap, and Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart turned to running back Matt Jones and said something. Jones then dropped to the ground and grabbed his leg.
Blatant fake injury from Ole Miss vs. Kentucky
(via @ESPN)pic.twitter.com/l09rrJ7cA1
— On3 (@On3sports) September 28, 2024
We cannot say with absolute certainty that Jones was faking it, but ABC play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough had no problem calling Ole Miss out. McDonough sarcastically said Jones “fortunately survived to walk off the field” and called the stunt “just a blatant fake injury.”
ABC rules analyst Matt Austin discussed the situation during the broadcast.
“There’s actually nothing in the rulebook that says you cannot do that,” Austin said, via Nick Schultz of On3. “There is very strong wording about being unethical to fake an injury at anytime during the game. I know the rules-makers have talked about it several times, but as of right now, there’s nothing you in the book can do about it.”
Fans might remember when Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin unloaded on an opposing player during a game for faking an injury. That situation was a bit different, since a defensive player appeared to fake an injury to slow down the offense. We see that more frequently than an offensive player going down, but both have become issues across college football.
Kentucky got the last laugh as they pulled off a 20-17 upset over No. 6 Ole Miss.
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