American Sports Fans In Awe After Aussie Punter Produces ‘AFL Step’ In College Football Game

Max Duffy, take a bow.

The Aussie punter has left American sports fans in awe after pulling off an incredible piece of skill to get his team out of trouble.

Duffy, who plays college football for Kentucky, produced what's being described as an "AFL Step" during his side's 23-21 win over North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl.

With his team pinned back in their own half on fourth down, the ball was snapped to Duffy to punt the ball down the other end of the field.

But as he caught the ball, he was immediately met by the onrushing North Carolina State special team.

It looked like his punt was about to be blocked but Duffy sold a slick dummy that left the rapid defender in the dirt.

He then slipped through his blockers and another set of defenders before finally rifling the ball down the field.

It was the sort of move straight out of the Aussie Rules playbook, topped off with a monster kick that AFL great Buddy Franklin would be proud of.

Duffy himself had a stint with the Fremantle Dockers in the AFL before jetting over to Kentucky to play for the Wildcats - and it seems he hasn't forgotten his roots.

And when his team needed him most, the Aussie was on hand to help out.

"We'd done a bit of homework in the week leading up on one of the guys that came after it. He blocked a fair few punts during the year. The plan was to block him. Apparently we didn't want to do that," Duffy told RSN Breakfast after the game.

"I knew he was going to be coming after it pretty hard and it was just a spur of the moment to go back to the AFL days.

"When I went off to the sideline I was pretty p***ed off to be honest because we didn't do the job that we wanted. But then I got to the sideline and all the guys were going crazy and telling me 'You're going to be on ESPN' and 'That's definitely (SportsCenter) top 10'.

"I was caught off guard because I was more worried about the bad job we'd done with the punt. Since then I've got a fair few messages, which is funny because it's something we seen every weekend in Australia in the AFL."

Duffy is one of the highest-rated punters in college football - and you can see why.

His record numbers with the boot combined with fancy footwork like this mean he's a good chance of getting a phone call from an NFL team come the 2021 Draft in April.

Topics: afl, American Football, American football news, College football, NFL, Australia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry