With only hours’ notice, Matt Barkley did something he had never done before in Friday’s contest against the Carolina Panthers.
He booted a 53-yard punt, much to the surprise of fans and media alike.
Matt Barkley just pinned a punt inside the 10 yard line… not something I ever expected to write.
— Bradley Gelber (@BradleyGelber) August 27, 2022
After the game, Barkley was asked if he knew he’d be asked to punt or whether that’s something he had ever practiced.
“It is not something I’ve ever practiced, and I knew right before the game” that he’d be asked to punt, Barkley said. “They came to me and asked.”
The backup QB punted four times for 160 yards in the 21-0 loss to the Panthers. As a passer, he went 9/13 for 100 yards and no TDs.
Despite the loss, Barkley did manage to crack a smile and a joke when asked about the 53-yard boot.
“Yeah, it’s a career best, so I’ll take that,” he said.
“I think I hit that so bad that it ended up being good. Rolled, bitcoin bounced,” the cryptocurrency enthusiast quipped.
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