Still can’t get over N.C. State’s inexplicable gaffe that cost the Wolfpack Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt?
Same here.
Mostly because, according to ESPN, college football teams leading and in possession of the ball in the final 10 seconds were 1,046-1 (more on the “1” in 1,046-1 in a bit) over the past 20 seasons, not including Central Michigan’s 30-27 win over Oklahoma State in 2016 when the officials mistakenly misinterpreted the rulebook and awarded CMU an untimed down with no time on the clock.
Which got us thinking: Where does this rank among college football’s final-seconds disasters?
The 5 biggest head scratching endings
5. Michigan-Michigan State, 2015
Right call, bad execution.
With 10 seconds left — here’s the “1” we mentioned earlier — Michigan held a 23-21 lead and lined up to punt, needing only a clean kick to secure a victory. Instead, punter Blake O’Neill bobbled a low snap and tried to recover, but his desperation kick went directly into the hands of Michigan State defender Jalen Watts-Jackson.
Watts-Jackson scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 38 yards down the sideline, escorted by a wall of blockers. He crossed the goal line as time expired, fracturing his hip on the game-winning touchdown.
It remains one of the most stunning, improbable walk-off finishes in college football history.
4. Minnesota-Wisconsin, 2005
Again, correct call, poor execution.
Leading 34-31 with 38 seconds remaining, Minnesota only needed to get off a routine punt to all but seal a rivalry victory over Wisconsin.
Instead, Minnesota punter Justin Kucek dropped the snap. He scooped up the ball and tried to roll out to his right to rescue the play and kick it on the run. But Wisconsin freshman Jonathan Casillas burst through the line and smothered the desperation kick.
The blocked ball ricocheted into the end zone, where the Badgers’ Ben Strickland pounced on it with 30 seconds left, giving Wisconsin an improbable 38-34 win and retaining Paul Bunyan’s Axe.
3. Miami-Georgia Tech, 2023
Wrong call, awful execution.
With less than 40 seconds remaining, Miami led 20-17 and had the ball. With Georgia Tech out of timeouts, the Hurricanes could have taken a knee and run out the clock.
Instead, UM head coach Mario Cristobal chose to run a play. Hurricanes running back Donald Chaney Jr. fumbled and Georgia Tech recovered it with 26 seconds to play.
In just 24 seconds, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King engineered a 74-yard drive, capped by a 44-yard touchdown pass to Christian Leary with two seconds left to stun the Hurricanes 23-20.
2. Baylor-UNLV, 1999
Again, wrong call, even worse execution.
Leading 24-21 with less than 20 seconds left on the clock, Baylor had a first down at the UNLV 8-yard line.
UNLV was out of timeouts, meaning Baylor head coach Kevin Steele simply needed his quarterback to take a knee to run out the remaining clock and secure the win.
Instead, attempting to build a program “attitude” and secure one more touchdown, Steele called a running play up the middle. Bears running back Darrell Bush took the handoff but was stripped at the goal line.
UNLV cornerback Kevin Thomas scooped up the ball inside the end zone and returned it 100 yards for the winning touchdown as time expired in a 27-24 shocker.
1. N.C. State-Vanderbilt, 2026
Right call (probably), but awful execution.
Leading 31-28 with six seconds remaining, N.C. State faced a fourth-and-7 from its 4-yard line. With Vanderbilt out of timeouts, the plan laid out by Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren was simple: have quarterback CJ Bailey take the snap, run backward into his end zone to drain as much time as possible and take an intentional safety.
That would leave N.C. State up 31-30 with virtually no time left, forcing a free kick to seal the game.
Instead, Bailey tried to milk too much time off the clock. Rather than simply going down safely, he remained upright long enough for Vanderbilt’s Miles Capers to punch the ball free.
Commodores cornerback Cayden Daniels recovered the fumble in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown with one second left. After the extra point and a desperate, failed lateral play by the Wolfpack, Vanderbilt celebrated a stunning 35-31 comeback victory.
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Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.