RUNNER-UP Steven Hauschka's poorly executed squib kick to start overtime in Seattle's Week 1 loss at St. Louis.
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But Los Angeles failed to recover a squib kick with 218 seconds remaining, allowing the Panthers (255-249) to prevail.
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Dominic Logan-Nealy broke about a million tackles and returned the squib kick back for an insane 75-yard touchdown, re-taking the lead at 43-40 with just 15 seconds left in the game.
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In Super Bowl XLI, the Indianapolis Colts decided to squib kick five of six subsequent kickoffs after Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. The Colts ended up winning 29-17. In Super Bowl XXXVII, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the squib kick on all of kickoffs against the Oakland Raiders, ending up in an overwhelming win for Tampa Bay. In the Central European Championship, 2007, the assistant coach of the Budapest Wolves, William Goldenberg, called a squib kick within the last few minutes of the 4th quarter versus the Belgrad Vukovi.
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In American football (but not Canadian) touchback and fair catch rules apply to the kicked ball. If it is fielded by the kicking team, it is called an onside kick. A low, bouncing kick is called a squib kick. Although a squib kick typically gives the receiving team better field position than they would if a normal kick had been used, a squib kick is sometimes used to avoid giving up a long return, as well as use up a valuable amount of time on the clock, as it is impossible to fair catch such a kick.
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Perhaps the most famous example of a squib kick is the controversial last- second kickoff return, nicknamed "The Play", during the November 20, 1982 college football game between the University of California, Berkeley ("California" or "Cal") Golden Bears and their arch-rival, the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford took the lead 20-19 with only four seconds remaining in the game. Anticipating a squib kick, Cal coach Joe Kapp sent his onsides return team into the game. The players recovered the ball and lateraled it five times -- two of them controversial - to score a touchdown to win the game.
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Spurlock re-signed with the Buccaneers on December 22, 2009. In his first game back with the Bucs, he returned a punt for a touchdown, leading to a 20-17 victory for Tampa Bay over the 13-1 New Orleans Saints. On November 7, 2010, against the Atlanta Falcons, Spurlock returned a squib kick for a touchdown. It was the second kickoff return for a touchdown in his career.
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The extra point gave them a 39–33 lead with one second remaining. The Tech fans had rushed the field after the touchdown, and again after the extra point. Tech was penalized accordingly and had to kick off from the 7½-yard line. Texas took the squib kick and lateraled twice in an attempt to score on the kickoff, but Tech caught one of the laterals to end the game.
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The extra point gave the Red Raiders a 39–33 lead with one second remaining. The Tech fans had rushed the field after the touchdown, and again after the extra point. Tech was penalized accordingly and had to kick off from the 7½-yard line. Texas took the squib kick and lateraled twice in an attempt to score on the kickoff, but Tech caught one of the laterals to end the game.
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Le'Ron McClain returned Suisham's squib kick 12 yards to the Steelers 48-yard line, giving Baltimore a chance to drive for the tying touchdown. But their offense was unable to move the ball. After two incompletions and an 8-yard sack by Ziggy Hood, receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh dropped a potential first down catch, ending any chance of a comeback. Roethlisberger completed 19 of 32 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
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Initially, the Bills planned on kicking the ball deep, but then Bruce DeHaven suggested that the Bills attempt a pooch, or bloop kick, where the ball goes higher and shorter than a regular kickoff to limit the opportunity for a runback. This added a unique twist to the play. When practicing the "Home Run Throwback," the Titans always practiced against a regular kickoff or a squib kick. Thus, they would be forced to improvise with what they knew about the play's execution.
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Starting from their own 18-yard line, the Crimson Tide needed to go 82 yards to tie the game. However, on the first play, McCarron fumbled when he was sacked by Eric Striker. The fumble was again recovered by Oklahoma's Grissom, who returned the fumble to the end zone to give Oklahoma a 45-31 lead. Oklahoma then recovered the ball from a Nick Hodgson squib kick that bounced off an Alabama player, allowing them to run out the clock.
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Head coach Bill Walsh turned this predicament into design and used it later in Super Bowl XVI, also held at the Silverdome. Wersching made two squib kicks late in the first half. The first pinned the Bengals deep in their own territory, and after forcing a punt, the resulting good field position led to a 49ers field goal. Moments later, as time was running out in the half, Wersching made a second squib kick, and this time the Bengals muffed the ball, and the 49ers recovered.
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The squib kick is a tactic used to prevent a long return, usually at the end of the half. On average the receiving team will gain better field position than it would returning a normal kick. However, it is considered worthwhile by the kicking team, as it is more difficult to return for a touchdown. Also it must be returned, which is not the case on a touchback, and thus it takes time off the clock and often brings the half to an end.
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A squib kick can work against the kicking team, especially if the receiving team is expecting it. Because the kick is so short, the receiving team will usually get good field position, even if there is a minimal gain on the return. With moderate gain, the receiving team can find themselves in field goal territory quickly. Squib kicks are also more difficult to pull off successfully than they were in the 1980s, since artificial turf has evolved to thicker, less bouncy installations such as FieldTurf.
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A squib kick is a term used in American football meaning a short, low, line drive kickoff that usually bounces around on the ground before it can be picked up by a member of the receiving team. The ball is kicked so short that it forces the receiving team's slower players to recover the ball first instead of their faster kick returner. Secondly, the bouncing ball may be harder for the receiving team to pick up, allowing more time for kicking team members to get downfield to surround the ball carrier.
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The Vikings failed to capitalize on the turnover after Tim Jennings intercepted Christian Ponder and scored on a 44-yard interception return. Minnesota retaliated with Ponder's 20-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph with 1:11 remaining, and the half ended with the Bears settling for a field goal. In the second half, the Vikings scored two field goals from Blair Walsh to take the 30–24 lead. However, the Bears scored on Cutler's 16-yard touchdown pass to Bennett, and ultimately prevailed after recovering a fumbled squib kick.
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Three plays later, Givens caught a 5-yard touchdown from Brady to give New England a 14–7 lead with only 18 seconds left in the half. The Patriots decided to squib kick the ensuing kickoff to prevent a long return, but their plan backfired as Carolina tight end Kris Mangum picked up the ball at his own 35-yard line and returned it 12 yards to the 47. The Patriots expected a pass play from the Panthers, but instead running back Stephen Davis ran for 21 yards on the next play to set up kicker John Kasay's 50-yard field goal as time expired in the half, cutting Carolina's deficit to 14–10.
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During the season, he received a contract extension through the 2011 season. With veteran starter Logan Mankins missing from the first seven games of the 2010 season due to a contract situation, Connolly started all of those games in his place at left guard. He was a reserve for the team's Week 9 game, but returned to the starting lineup at right guard following a season-ending injury to Neal. In a December 19, 2010 game against the Green Bay Packers, Connolly set the record for the longest kickoff return by an offensive lineman in NFL history, returning a squib kick 71 yards to set up a Patriots touchdown (the previous record was 48 yards by Mal Snider in 1969).
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As a result, it became an unintentional squib kick that the Bills recovered with great field position at midfield. Buffalo then drove 50 yards in 10 plays, including a pass to Pete Metzelaars that went right through the hands of linebacker Eddie Robinson, and scored with a 1-yard touchdown run by Davis, cutting the deficit to 35–10 when the extra point was added. On the drive, Reich completed a 24-yard pass to tight end Metzelaars and a 16-yard strike to Andre Reed, while Davis kept the drive going with a 5-yard run on fourth down and 2 before finishing it off with a touchdown run with 8:52 left in the 3rd quarter. The Bills were still behind by 25 points.
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San Jose State's defense held New Mexico's offense in check after recovering three more Lobo fumbles, and looked poised to run out the clock. Backed up deep in their end zone and leading by 17, San Jose State coach Dick Tomey elected to have punter Waylon Prather take a safety rather than risk a turnover or blocked punt, bringing the score to 20-5. With only 58 seconds remaining after a squib kick, New Mexico quarterback Chris Nelson - who replaced freshman starter Donovan Porterie for the second half - led his team down the field with three first down throws and a 15-yard scoring strike to wideout Marcus Smith, cutting the deficit to 20-12. San Jose State recovered the ensuing onside kick with 15 seconds left and knelt on the ball, capturing the inaugural New Mexico Bowl.
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Robbie Gould's extra point was blocked, and his struggles continued with the following kickoff when his squib kick bounced out of bounds. After the game's four next drives culminated with punts, the Raiders scored on Carr's 26-yard touchdown pass to Cooper; despite initially being ruled out of bounds, the Raiders challenged the call and the ruling was overturned. On the Bears' next series, Slauson botched the snap to Cutler, and the Raiders' Dan Williams recovered. Oakland capitalized on the takeaway with Roy Helu scoring on a four-yard touchdown reception, though the Bears responded with Cutler taking advantage of an open Martellus Bennett to score on a five-yard touchdown. On Oakland's next drive, Carr's swing pass to Murray was deflected and landed towards Pernell McPhee, intercepting the pass; Gould eventually kicked a 19-yard field goal.
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Three possessions later, the Packers marched 82 yards in six-and-a-half minutes, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Flynn to Greg Jennings, giving them a very surprising 17–7 lead late in the first half, but the momentum instantly swung back to New England. Offensive lineman Dan Connolly returned the squib kick 71 yards to 3 yard line. Three plays later, Brady threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Hernandez, trimming the deficit to 17–14 at halftime. The Packers receive the 2nd half kickoff and on the fourth play of their first possession, Arrington intercepted a short pass from Flynn and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 21–17 lead. After Sam Shields returned the ensuing kickoff 21 yards to the 31, the Packers countered, engineering a 13-play, 69-yard drive, taking just under six minutes off the clock, and scoring on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Flynn to John Kuhn, re- taking the lead 24–21.
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