Why ACC officials may have blown the call on Notre Dame's dazzling fake-punt touchdown

It might have been the most sublime play this season in college football.

Would have carved a space in a video montage of college football's best trick plays of any time this decade.

With discipline, ease and speed to burn, Notre Dame uncorked a fake punt that fleet-footed two-sport star Jordan Faison, standout on the Irish's national champion lacrosse team, seemingly turned into a 73-yard touchdown run.

Officially, it never happened. History seems to suggest the play should have stood as a Fighting Irish touchdown.

In fact, this compendium of plays that FootballScoop published shows college teams across numerous conferences -- ACC, SEC, Sun Belt and more -- have utilized almost the identical formation without being whistled for illegal formation/penalty.

Sources Saturday night and Sunday afternoon informed FootballScoop that the Notre Dame coaching staff had discussed the play with a full collegiate officiating crew before the start of the 2024 season.

Here is how Notre Dame lined up its punt unit for this snap and then executed the play, which officials -- after at least more than two minutes of discussion -- deemed constituted an illegal formation.

The Irish mostly deployed a standard punt setup, with Australian specialist James Rendell deep behind the line of scrimmage for the snap. Tailback Jeremiyah Love is split left and comes into motion, and veteran linebacker Jack Kiser is effectively in the upback position.

This element is key: Kiser is lined up approximately one-and-a-half yards behind long-snapper Joseph Vinci; Kiser is not under center nor does he make contact with Vinci's backside.

Tucked behind the Irish line is Faison, who squats just to Kiser's right and is largely obscured by the linemen who tower over the 5-foot-10 wideout.

Kiser takes the shortened shotgun-snap and deftly deposits the ball into Faison's arms while also continuing the play-fake toward the right sideline with Love on his flank.

Untouched and with one ankle-breaking juke of Ethan Davis, Faison is in the end zone. The side judge signals touchdown.

Video shows Marcus Freeman informing the ACC officiating crew that "He (Kiser) is in the gun. He's in the gun."

Indeed, every video shows that Kiser did not receive a hand-to-hand snap from the center.

Freeman was asked by FootballScoop postgame if he understood or received an explanation for the officials' ruling.

"It was really an interpretation of the rule, as I told them, obviously calmed down, and told them let's just talk and get it figured out postgame in terms of how we interpret the rule," Freeman said. "We were in shotgun, which we assume we are able to do, and they said no, you're not. You're not able to do that in the special teams formation we were in.

"Listen, they have got a job to do, and you know, I might have disagreed at the moment, but I got the utmost respect for our officials."

The NCAA rule book also appeared to support Notre Dame's contention that the formation and play were legal; the Irish did have Rendell deployed to a legal depth and Kiser did not receive a direct, hand-to-hand snap.

Additionally, the absence of the hand-to-hand snap also mitigated the need to have a player in that position who wore a jersey numbered between 50 and 79.

The play also occurred on a weekend in which ACC officials drew intense scrutiny across multiple games just one week after after Big 12 officiating took centerstage nationally.

ESPN's David Hale also commented on the ACC's woes: