Wisconsin left tackle rushes for touchdown against Illinois

Michael Deiter had never touched a football during a live game before scoring against Illinois on Saturday. (Getty Images)
Michael Deiter had never touched a football during a live game before scoring against Illinois on Saturday. (Getty Images)

Michael Deiter is 6-foot-6, 328 pounds and plays left tackle for the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers. He’s also now the proud owner of a rushing touchdown in a Big Ten game.

With the Badgers on the road against Illinois on Saturday — and stuck in a sluggish 17-3 battle late in the fourth quarter — coach Paul Chryst decided to dial up a play that was sure to fire up his offense: A lateral to Deiter on 3rd-and-goal.

The result was a thing of beauty.

(Via ESPN)
(Via ESPN)

Perfect backwards pass. Perfect blocking. Questionable running. Perfect celebration.

“I was super nervous,” Deiter said on ESPN after the game. “My legs were mushy. I was nervous I was going to fall down. I’ve never touched a football in a game other than at center but that doesn’t really count. I had the whole offensive line in front of me, there was no way I wasn’t getting in.”

Wisconsin needed a statement game this week to balance out a questionable schedule with the first College Football Playoff rankings being released on Tuesday. The Badgers’ 24-10 victory over Illinois didn’t quite accomplish that, but it did show a willingness to get creative if nothing else.

This is the second time in three days we’ve seen a lineman get a carry in the red zone. We are absolutely here for this becoming a staple in power five offenses.

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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