College Football Fans Loved Laura Rutledge’s Viral Sprint to ESPN Desk for Halftime Show

Laura Rutledge. Athlete.

Rutledge was featured all over ESPN’s broadcast of the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night. / ESPN

Count ESPN reporter and host Laura Rutledge among the two-way stars in college football.

Rutledge, who has been working at ESPN for over a decade, was everywhere at Caesars Superdome on Thursday night working a couple of gigs as the network’s sideline reporter and host for the Sugar Bowl. At halftime of Ole Miss’s drama-filled 39–34 win over Georgia, Rutledge interviewed the coaches heading into the locker room. But she didn’t get to rest and adjust her game plan like the teams in the locker room.

Instead, Rutledge darted across the gridiron in a sprint over to the desk for ESPN’s halftime report. She pulled up there and was met by a couple of staffers to help mic her up and get the rest of the panel ready to go live.

Within a couple of minutes, Rutledge was back on the air—in a completely different spot:

SEC Nation ➡️ Sideline ➡️ ESPN Halftime

🏃‍♀️💨 @lauramrutledge = built different 🐐 pic.twitter.com/ghBYR9iKjq

— BMillz (@bmillz09) January 2, 2026

Rutledge had some fun with the moment on social media, joking on her Instagram that she nearly collided with the Georgia marching band’s xylophone.

Laura Rutledge reacts to a viral video of herself sprinting across the field at the Sugar Bowl. / Laura Rutledge / IG

While it would be an impressive cardio feat for most, it was just another day in the office for Rutledge. She did the exact same sprint over to the desk for halftime of Alabama’s 34–24 win over Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff back on Dec. 19.

Tons of respect for Laura Rutledge here. So good at her job and this is a part nobody sees. She’s got two minutes to get from the sideline interview to the concourse for halftime.

One day I’ll tell you about the time I worked a game on both radio and tv! pic.twitter.com/OseTCNLvqa

— Darren Dupont (@darrendupont) December 20, 2025

Fans loved the moment:

this is incredible!

The physical feat on its own is a lot.

But then to gather thoughts, catch breath and perform on camera is a feat in its own.

As someone who's been on camera, I know none of that was easy and it took many people to pull off.

Thanks for sharing this!

— Mike Wobschall (@wobby) January 2, 2026

decent 40 time, not bad

— jeff⚡️ (@jlhtn18) January 2, 2026

My type of content. So dope. https://t.co/1sm66AQefB

— Drea Pappageorgas (@49ersDrea) January 2, 2026

The anchor of @espn in today’s landscape. Nobody better or more committed than @LauraRutledge She’s everywhere https://t.co/DAMgVVnAur

— Mike Rose (@mikerose00) January 2, 2026

Over the last few years in college football, we’ve seen two-way stars play both offense and defense—notably 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. But did Hunter have to sprint across the field to join his other unit? I don’t think so.

Laura Rutledge. Athlete.

---

More College Football on Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.

feed