No. 20 USC on Friday pulled off one of the most audacious fake punts in recent college football memory during their 38-17 rout of the Wildcats at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif.
With the Trojans facing fourth-and-6 from Northwestern’s 45-yard line early in the second quarter, USC’s punt team trotted onto the field. But instead of punter Sam Johnson (No. 80), it was third-string quarterback Sam Huard — quietly listed as No. 80 for the week — under center, blending seamlessly in the upback’s uniform.
The former five-star recruit from Washington, just a couple of inches shorter than Johnson, dropped back and rifled a 10-yard strike to wide receiver Tanook Hines for the first down.
Trojan trickery 🫨@uscfb put third-string QB Sam Huard in punter Sam Johnson’s uniform and pulled off the fake punt in their 38-17 win over Northwestern 👏 pic.twitter.com/KuOMrWQpj5
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 8, 2025
The ruse, which even fooled the announcing team, extended the drive, paving the way for Jayden Maiava’s six-yard touchdown scamper and a 14-7 lead for USC. Huard, grinning ear-to-ear, high-fived teammates as he exited, his ploy fully legal under NCAA rules allowing duplicate numbers.
“Did not show up on the roster online. Had not shown up anywhere else,” Northwestern coach David Braun, via ESPN. “But they did legally submit that. Was on the game-day roster that was here, present at the Coliseum. And the lesson I’ve learned in that for the rest of my career is we arrive at a facility, we will go over that with a fine-tooth comb and look for any of those potential issues.”
The Trojans’ trickery echoed Bowling Green’s number-swap stunt in last year’s 68 Ventures Bowl, but USC’s execution proved pivotal.
“It was just a well-thought-out thing,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said. “Had it at the right time, and we had confidence in it, and Sam stepped in there and made a good throw. Had a guy kind of in his face. … We have some creative guys on our staff.”
USC rode the momentum of the trick play to a victory — their seventh of the season. And by the way, FOX’s rules analyst doesn’t think the play should have counted.
Should USC's trick play that featured a QB number change have counted last night?@MikePereira doesn't think so ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/IKfZEFmwMm
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 9, 2025
