Special teams disaster: TCU takes safety after air-mailed punt snap
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Even though it’s Week 0 in college football, we already have a play for the blooper reels.
It happened with less than two minutes remaining in the first half of a 10-10 game between North Carolina and TCU. The Horned Frogs were forced to punt the football from their own 31 after their latest drive fizzled out.
That’s when things went sideways.
What was supposed to be a routine snap sailed over the head of TCU punter John Hoyet Chance and rolled behind him toward the end zone. Chance eventually caught up to the ball and kicked it out of the rear sideline. By rule, that’s considered an illegal bat, resulting in a safety and two points for the Tar Heels.
Here’s video of the incident:
TCU vs. North Carolina hasn’t exactly been a barnburner through a half. After both teams scored 10 points in the first quarter, things slowed significantly in the second quarter. The Horned Frogs turned the ball over on downs, punted, and gave up a safety on the bad snap. The Tar Heels went punt-punt-lost fumble on their three drives.
In other words, this is nowhere near the 48-14 beatdown the Horned Frogs gave the Tar Heels in the 2025 season opener in Chapel Hill.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
