ECU's Austin Barnes Hits Teammate's Head on Minus-5-Yard Punt

Facing 4th-and-10 at its own 23-yard line, East Carolina tried to flip field position with a punt. It did, but not in the intended manner.

The Pirates instead lost five yards when punter Austin Barnes' kick inadvertently hit teammate Shaun James. Given the ball in the red zone, the South Florida Bulls extended their lead to 17 with a 28-yard field goal.

Barnes entered Week 5's AAC contest averaging 42.1 yards per punt and has recorded at least one punt of 50 or more yards in each 2017 game. Yet the graduate student will have a hard time living this miscue down.

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