SI

UNLV Defender's Not-So-Subtle Fake Injury Flop Works a Little Too Well vs. Kansas

A very obvious flop ended up in a penalty flag—on the other team.

Tom Dierberger

UNLV entered Friday's game 2–0 after beginning the year with wins over Houston and Utah Tech.
UNLV entered Friday's game 2–0 after beginning the year with wins over Houston and Utah Tech. / ESPN
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In a moment of confusion Friday night, UNLV Rebels defensive end Antonio Doyle Jr. decided he needed to stop the clock.

At the time, UNLV teammates were racing off the field to get their defense set ahead of a crucial third-and-12 for the Kansas Jayhawks. Doyle looked around and flopped to the grass, clearly pretending to be injured. After briefly grabbing his knee, Doyle realized the Rebels' defense was in place and quickly got back up to rush the passer.

After all that, the Jayhawks were having trouble getting lined up themselves and were whistled for a false start. Kansas moved back five yards to its own 7-yard line and punted on the next play.

Trailing 17–16 at the time, the Rebels eventually grabbed the lead for good on Kylin James's 8-yard rush for a touchdown with 1:51 to play and held on for a 23–20 win.

UNLV, now 3–0 on the season, will have a week off before battling Fresno State at home Sept. 28.

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Tom Dierberger

TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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