As the flag was thrown and the whistle was blown, Jake Hartbarger probably didn’t imagine punting a dead ball would lead to him spending the next 6-8 weeks rehabbing an injury.
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On Saturday night in the fourth quarter, Michigan State was called for a false start on a crucial punt and like many punters do, Hartbarger continued through his punting motion as to avoid an injury from stopping abruptly. That turned out to be a mistake.
Hartbarger finished his motion while two Arizona State players, who were presumably following an all-out block call, dove and a helmet went into the shin of the senior punter.