California Golden Bears punter Cole Leininger was just your average guy, kicking footballs and flipping the field on opponents.
Regular stuff for a day in the life of a punter, just part of the job.
But sometimes there can come a moment when even the most unassuming young man will be called upon to be his team's hero. In a single play, the most forgotten about player on a football team can, in an instant, transform into something more.
Not the punter his team deserves, but the one it needs right now.
Such a moment arose for Leininger in last Thursday night's game against Southern Cal, when the Golden Bears trailed the Trojans 28-2 midway through the second quarter. On fourth down, Cal dialed up a fake punt.
This was Leininger's chance, his moment. He could be the fuel to light the fire, that spark to ignite Cal's historic and epic comeback against their cross-state rivals.
If he pulled off this fake punt, he would be remembered and beloved by all.
Instead, he did the equivalent of dumping an entire water cooler on whatever tiny flame his team might have had left.
And he invented a sweet new dance move in the process. I think we'll call it the "Fake Punt."
To all you kids out there looking forward to prom, don't try this move there, at home, or anywhere.
And adding to his long list of problems in this moment, he short-armed the throw. Literally nothing went right for this poor kid.
Seriously though, I can't figure out the high knees. I've never seen any real life punter ever make any movement that looks anything remotely like whatever high-stepping nightmare you can witness over and over eleven lines above this sentence.
If Leininger wanted to be remembered, he accomplished his goal.
And we'd all like to thank him for that.
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