Big Ten punters can run, pass and kick

IOWA CITY - Iowa senior Ryan Donahue wants everyone to know that punters are athletes, too.

True, they hone their craft daily on a separate field from the rest of their teammates. They don't participate in team practice except for specific situations. But to Donahue, punters are more than just specialists; they're players, too.

“Everyone puts punters and kickers in a category of, ‘That's their job, strictly do it.' People see them as non-athletes,” said Donahue, a four-sport athlete in high school. “But (Michigan State punter Aaron) Bates and the guy from Wisconsin, (Brad) Nortman, they show punters can do stuff, too. Football coaches don't really see that opposition-wise. They don't think that it can actually happen. But obviously it did. It's happened to us a couple of times, so we've just got to watch out for it.”

Donahue, Bates and Nortman all took part in non-kicking plays last weekend that altered outcomes of their games. Michigan State trailed Northwestern 24-14 early in the fourth quarter and faced fourth-and-11 at the Wildcats' 36. Bates, a former high school quarterback, threw a 21-yard pass to Bennie Fowler on a fake punt, spurring the Spartans to a touchdown. Michigan State eventually won the game 35-27.

On a fourth-and-4 at his 26 and the Badgers trailing Iowa 30-24, Nortman took off on a fake punt and ran 17 yards for a first down. Wisconsin then drove the length of the field, scoring a touchdown with 1 minute, 6 seconds left to win 31-30.

Donahue's involvement wasn't so grand. In the first quarter he was the holder on a blocked extra-point attempt. Midway through the second quarter Iowa attempted a 30-yard field goal. Andrew Schulze's snap was high and at Donahue's shoulder. Donahue caught the ball and took off running for a first down. He lost 4 yards on the play.

“We've never had, in the past four years, this has never happened with me and him,” Donahue said. “So I should have handled the ball, and I didn't. It's one of those things that's never really happened in a game before. It's something that I have to focus more on, and that's a mistake that we just can't afford.”

Fake punts or field-goal attempts seem to be the norm for Bates. In perhaps Michigan State's signature moment this year, Bates completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Gantt on a fake field goal in overtime to stun Notre Dame 34-31. That play was nicknamed “Little Giants” by Michigan State Coach Mark Dantonio. Bates' effort against Northwestern was tabbed “Mousetrap” by Dantonio.

Bates hardly fits the stereotype of a non-athlete. He's a team captain, nearly played college baseball and can dunk a basketball. His roommate, Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins, said if Bates was “giving out any quarterback lessons, I'd love to attend.”

“He's got to be the most famous punter in America,” Cousins said. “His fake field goals, his fake punts have done a number on teams and really got us to where we are.”

Nortman, a junior, was an all-conference linebacker as well as an all-state punter in high school. Saturday, Wisconsin Coach Bret Bielema gave Nortman and the punt team a signal for a fake once Iowa took off its first-team defense.

“Ryan Groy, a second-string left guard, he's making that decision,” Bielema said. “He went out there and made the call and Brad Nortman did the mechanics and took off running. He came to the sideline and I said, ‘You could have at least got me five more yards.'”

It's always something against punters. Donahue awaits his time to be the hero like Bates, Nortman or even Cleveland Browns punter Reggie Hodges, who sprinted 68 yards on a fake punt Sunday against New Orleans, the longest run by a punter in the NFL since 1970. Donahue's closest shining moment came in the Orange Bowl, when he flipped the ball on a fake field goal to kicker Daniel Murray, who promptly was crunched for a 4-yard loss.

“I've always lobbied for a pass or a run,” Donahue said. “I don't know if it's going to happen, but the past four years I've been trying. We'll see.”