Instead of running a route during Arkansas State's fake punt attempt, Booker Mays did something a little different and played dead, falling to the ground. See if the unusual play call worked for the Red Wolves. (0:27)

One year later, the Fainting Goat is flourishing.

Booker Mays, a wide receiver and former walk-on at Arkansas State, burst to prominence last season for his skillful impersonation of a fainting goat. In the second quarter of his team's 41-20 loss at Miami on Sept. 13, Mays -- at the direction of the Arkansas State coaches -- fell flat on his back in the grass at the line of scrimmage in an attempt to divert attention from the Red Wolves' bid to convert a fake punt.

The play failed miserably: Miami's Raphael Kirby intercepted ASU punter Luke Ferguson, and the Hurricanes paid no attention to Mays' antics.

Nevertheless, the trick play made an overnight celebrity of Mays. The video of the play quickly racked up millions of views. And while the hype has subsided, the quirky moment is still having an effect on Mays.

"It gave me a platform to spring into being a more noticeable face in the program," Mays said last week from Jonesboro, Arkansas, where he is preparing to open his junior season on Sept. 5 as Arkansas State visits eighth-ranked University of Southern California.

"I never really expected it to get as big as it did, but I just took it and ran with it. I've got fans now who look up to me, know me by name. I've never experienced that before. It let me know that there are people who notice how hard I'm working."

Mays, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound junior from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, said he believes he can serve as a source of inspiration for underdogs.

In the summer of 2013, after Mays' redshirt season, Mays' father told him that if he didn't receive a scholarship soon, his family would struggle to continue to pay for Mays to attend Arkansas State.

That August, he earned the scholarship, awarded by former ASU coach Bryan Harsin, in what Mays said was "one of the most emotional, overwhelming, joyful moments of my life."

So when receivers coach and special teams coordinator Luke Paschall came to Mays before the Miami game last year with a request to play dead on the field, Mays was an eager participant in the stunt.

Arkansas State's Booker Mays has gone from underdog walk-on to a player with a measure of worldwide fame thanks to his role as the Fainting Goat in a fake punt. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

"I've always worked hard," he said, "so when they gave me an opportunity to do something special, I was very excited for the moment."

He finished 2014 with 20 catches for 325 yards and four touchdowns -- three of which came in a season-best performance during the Red Wolves' 63-44 loss to Toledo in the GoDaddy Bowl.

In the spring, Mays earned his bachelor of science degree in interdisciplinary studies. He's working this fall toward a master's degree in college student personnel services, with hopes of securing a job in campus recreation.

Mays said his former role as the Fainting Goat was largely ignored by Arkansas State opponents after the Miami game.

"I think they probably knew," he said.

But recognition from fans continues to make an impression on Mays.

Over the summer, he spent 18 days in London for a sports photography class. Teammates Charleston Girley and Austin Copeland studied abroad with him. They visited a Niketown store while dressed in Arkansas State gear, and they encountered an employee who asked if they played American football.

"We were like, ‘Yeah, we play for Arkansas State,'" Mays said. "He said, ‘Oh, you mean Arkansas State with the Fainting Goat, the guy who passed out?'"

Mays said he was shocked.

"In my mind," he said, "I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is not real.' He was like, 'You all know him?' I said, 'Yeah, I know him. He's a pretty cool guy.'

"I never imagined that one play would reach" as far as London, he said.

So keep an eye on Mays in two weeks at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

"Our coaches never change," Mays said. "We're going to have some fun. We don't know what it is yet, but they'll have something dialed up."

Might he participate again?

"No problem," Mays said. "I'm just here to play my role."