The BYU Cougars, the No. 11-ranked team in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, were looking to sew up a win in the Big 12 Championship Game against No. 4 Texas Tech at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday. One play, though, might have changed the entire course of the game.
On a fourth-down play, BYU, which was set up for a punt attempt, tried doing something different, and the results were devastating.
What Were Fans Saying About Kalani Sitake After BYU’s Fake Punt?
BYU punter Sam Vander Haar took a snap from his center, then looked to connect with a receiver downfield. It did not work out, and the Red Raiders were given some excellent field position after the play ended.
College football fans — and even former college football players — who were watching the game on ABC with Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer behind the mics, were aghast. In fact, some were calling for BYU special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga to be fired by BYU head coach Kalani Sitake.
“BYU doesn’t need to fire Kelly Poppinga, they need to hire a real special teams coordinator and let Poppinga stick to defense,” PFSN Chief Analytics Officer Cam Mellor said on Saturday.
Former LSU player, Breiden Fehoko, headed out to X and wrote, “Fire that special teams coordinator immediately. That is the worst fake punt I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Fire that special teams coordinator immediately. That is the worst fake punt I’ve ever seen in my life,
— Breiden Fehoko (@BreidenFehoko) December 6, 2025
Fehoko has often been outspoken on social media. Yet, he wasn’t the only one. A fan chimed in and wrote, “Risky fake punt backfires on BYU. Texas Tech will take over on downs in Cougar territory.”
‘Crain & Company’ host Jake “JBOY” Crain added his two cents and said, “That was one of the worst fakes I’ve seen in a while.”
Over on the Reddit CFB account on X, they posted the following: “BYU attempts a fake punt on fourth-and-7, and it went horribly wrong. The receiver never had a chance to catch the ball. Tech takes over at the BYU 41.”
If you haven’t seen the play in question yet, then here’s a clip of just how the play went down on the field.
BYU RUNS A FAKE PUNT!!!
And it’s a disaster 🤦♂️
pic.twitter.com/GdUapVU3J4— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) December 6, 2025
Poppinga has been a part of Sitake’s staff, and it appears that Sitake has been happy with the special teams coordinator’s efforts. But one must wonder if this play might cost Poppinga his job.
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Late in the fourth quarter of the Big 12 title game, Texas Tech was running away from the Cougars, as BYU had a bevy of turnovers. BYU, with the loss, might not be in the College Football Playoff once the new rankings come out.
Sitake, who was a candidate for other head coaching jobs, especially at Penn State, isn’t leaving BYU. So, it’ll be interesting to see what happens to Poppinga after this season ends.
How many points resulted from the great field position for TT? Zero. BYU took over on downs after forcing a missed field goal. The entire argument is a mute point.
I second the last remark the special teams has been great for BYU. Maybe at other universities he might be at risk but they would not fire him for one bad play call.
This is such a lame article, that single dude refernced is not a fan of BYU. If anyone has followed BYU they know that special teams has been exceptional under Poppinga.
Such a poor article.