Duke running back Jaylen Coleman ran for 20 yards on his first play of the 2022 season, bowling over a referee in the process. Duke running back Jaylen Coleman ran for 20 yards on his first play of the 2022 season, bowling over a referee in the process.
By Michael Dixon on

It’s safe to say that Duke running back Jaylen Coleman was amped up for his team’s season-opening game against Temple on Friday. One unfortunate referee from that game would certainly attest to that.

On the second play from scrimmage, Coleman took a handoff from Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard. After shedding one tackler, Coleman sprinted into the open field, where he quickly found himself face-to-face with an official. Coleman must have figured that the best way to get by the referee was to run over him, because that’s exactly what he did en route to a 20-yard gain.

The unusual play drew a big reaction from the college football world.

The official’s feet were not set at the time of contact, so that’s a pretty clear block.

Coleman has played only sparingly in his first two seasons at Duke. He had only 15 carries for 42 yards in 2019. Then, after missing the 2020 season, Coleman had only 11 carries for 14 yards in 2021.

In the first quarter of Friday’s game against Temple, Coleman had four carries for 22 yards. One of those carries resulted in his first collegiate touchdown. He added two more carries for 10 yards on another scoring drive to start the second. So, Coleman is making the most of his early playing time in 2022.

[ACC Network on Twitter]

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