Female sideline reporter's horror moment at football game

Laura Rutledge has found herself in the line of fire while reporting on the sidelines for ESPN.

Rutledge was on sideline duties for the college football game between University of Massachusetts and Georgia on Sunday, and things didn’t exactly go to plan.

As you can see in the video above, Rutledge copped a massive hit in the back as two players spilled across the sideline during a tackle.

The incident looked pretty scary, but she managed to bounce to her feet and later tweeted an update to her fans.

“Took an L in Athens today. So many thanks to everyone at @UGAAthletics for their help after this happened … even though I’m a Gator,” she said.

As it turns out, it was a pretty rough day for Rutledge.

During the pre-game show she also found out what it’s like working with animals, as the Georgia Bulldogs’ mascot Uga X didn’t exactly cooperate with her.

“When your man spots a better sports option,” she later jokingly tweeted.

And she’s not alone

A female NFL reporter went viral recently after she suffered a painful reminder of the perils of live TV.

NFL Network’s Melissa Stark was sideline reporter for the Chargers v Titans game in London in October.

She was doing a live cross with the rest of the crew back in the studio before the game when disaster struck.

Stark was sconned in the back of the head by a stray football that had been thrown by a player warming-up.

But her response to the painful mishap sent fans wild.

Like a true professional, Stark ploughed on like nothing happened, only referencing the falcon after her cross had finished.

Her colleagues immediately commended her poise and composure, as did fans on social media.