FAU WR and former 'Last Chance U' star loses TD by dropping ball before goal line
It’s a good thing Florida Atlantic was up 24 points when wide receiver John Franklin III forgot to carry the ball across the goal line.
Franklin scored an apparent 76-yard touchdown to put the Owls up 30 points with just over a minute to go in the fourth quarter of FAU’s 41-17 Conference-USA title game win over North Texas.
But he didn’t. Because like NFL wide receiver DeSean Jackson and many other players before him, Franklin dropped the ball in celebration before he was in the end zone. At least the celebration was good?
The fumble was easily the lowlight of Franklin’s performance on Saturday. The former quarterback had a 49-yard completion, had two carries for 74 yards — including the potential fourth-quarter TD — and had a 22-yard touchdown catch.
Franklin graduate transferred to Florida Atlantic after spending the 2016 season at Auburn. He joined the Tigers from East Mississippi Community College, the first school featured in the Netflix docu-series “Last Chance U.” He came to EMCC from Florida State.
The senior has seven catches and 16 rushing attempts through 2017. And will (hopefully) forever remember to hold on to the ball into the end zone for the rest of his playing career.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
More college football coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• Nebraska hires UCF coach Scott Frost
• No. 3 Oklahoma cruises to Big 12 title over TCU
• Controversial call helps USC top Stanford for Pac-12 title
• UCF holds off Memphis to capture AAC title
• Pat Forde: Why Tennessee is laughingstock of college football
