Two Great Onside Kicks From This Weekend: Which Is Better? (Video)

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In football, the onside kick is one of the most exciting plays. The success rate of an onside kick is pretty low, however. In a desperate 4th-quarter situation, teams are well aware when an opponent is about to try an onside kick. So, the success rate increases dramatically when the receiving team has no idea what’s coming. Here are two of the best onside kicks you will see this football season.

The first one comes from Saturday’s Louisiana-Lafayette vs Akron matchup. The University of Lousiana-Lafayette’s athletic teams are named the Ragin’ Cajuns, so you know these crazy-ass rednecks are up for some trick play shenanigans on the football field.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kicker onside kick it to himself. Hunter Stover is a 6’1″ 210-pound kicker who apparently misses playing “real” football. Wearing a helmet with one bar and only getting to play on fourth down isn’t cutting it: he wanted to roll his sleeves up and do some real footballin’.

But this onside kick from the Rice vs. Houston game might take the cake. Down 31-26 late in the game, Rice’s Chris Boswell pulls off a trick of his own.

Boswell is like most football kickers in that he has a soccer background. That nifty “fake-kick” move he pulled off is called a “rabona,” where the kicking leg wraps around the front leg. Most American football players aren’t too familiar with the sport that the rest of the world calls football, so Houston never saw it coming.

But, Houston still won 31-26.