Penn State tight end Tyler Warren had a big day in the Nittany Lions' thrilling 33-30 victory over USC on Saturday.
Warren led all Penn State players with 17 receptions, 224 yards and one touchdown. He also had one rushing attempt for a 4-yard gain and completed a pass for a 9-yard gain. At one point, the CBS broadcast team noted all the different spots Warren lined up, including QB, WR, TE, and RB snaps.
But the play that many will remember most was Drew Aller's touchdown reception, a 32-yard strike that cut USC's lead to 20-13 just after halftime.
That game? It started with Warren playing a football.
You read it correctly:
After shifting from Penn State's offensive line, Warren will line up as a “center” and play football as backup to quarterback Beau Pribula. Pribula then throws a backward pass to Aller, who lifts his leg and throws it downfield to Warren.
As you can see, USC was prepared for this, but the tight end wasn't exactly wide open. Warren had to struggle to jump over defenders, catch traffic and reel in touchdowns.
In this replay, Gary Danielson analyzed the play and noted that Warren positioned himself as a “center” and snapped the football. However, Warren is an endman on the line of scrimmage to his side of the field and is “uncovered.” This makes him eligible as a receiver.
You can see that in this image right after the snap. The line of scrimmage is USC's 32-yard line, and the two players in front of Aller are standing at the 35-yard line. They're off the line of scrimmage, and Warren is the endman on the line of scrimmage. This makes Warren eligible as a receiver despite flipping the football.
As Danielson said, you might not get to see this play every Saturday unless you're hanging out at your local flag football field.
