Sunday, November 22, 2015

Longest Yards-To-Go Situations in NFL and College Football, A Sampling

Al Abrahms, Pittsburg Post-Gazette 10/26/1970.
 Friday 27 November 2015. Update:  I have updated Table 1 to include the Patriots 4th and 63 versus Cowboys in 1971 as well as a Panthers' 4th and 40 versus Cowboys on Thanksgiving 2015.
Saturday 22 October 2016. Update: I have updated Table 2 to include the Army 2nd-4th and 44 versus Lafayette on 15 OCT 2016. 
Thursday 24 November 2016. Update: I have updated Table 2 to include additional lengthy down-and-distance situations in NCAA football seasons 2005-09.
 

So I was watching college football like I do every Saturday in the fall. Amen. Actually, for personal reasons, I was tardy tuning into the noon-round of games. Checked a couple games and landed on Auburn-Georgia. Georgia possessed the ball at their 29-yard line early in the 4th quarter. It was 2nd and 37. SECOND AND 37!

I later learned that UGA’s 2nd and 37 was made possible by an offensive pass interference call (1-25), a false start (2-30), and a holding call tacked onto a 3-yard run (2-37). My girlfriend and I were baffled. UGA running back Brendan Douglas rushed to the right for a 1-yard gain. Indeed, 37-to go is intimidating. But then—UGA surrendered 5 additional yards on a delay of game penalty! On 3rd and 41 Douglas again rushed to the right and managed a stellar but unsuccessful 20-yard gain.

Thereafter I wondered what the longest yards-to go situation has been. Data of this sort is readily accessible for NFL games. However, college statistics encompass 3 or more divisions and the data are much more diffuse. So the NFL first:

Table 1. Sampling of Lengthiest Down and Distance Situations in NFL
Date Team Opponent Quarter Down Location Score Detail Yds
10.25.1970 Steelers Raiders 1 4-74 PIT 9 0-7 Probably punt -
12.20.1999 Vikings Packers 1 3-50 MIN 41 0-0 Jeff George pass complete to Leroy Hoard 7
09.23.2012 Redskins Bengals 4 3-50 WAS 41 31-38 Robert Griffin III pass incomplete -
10.28.2001 Eagles Raiders 1 2-48 PHI 16 0-0 Duce Staley run 17
10.13.2013 Raiders Chiefs 4 3-48 RAI 12 7-14 Terrelle Pryor pass incomplete -
12.14.1997 Bills Jaguars 1 3-47 BUF 26 0-0 Thurman Thomas run 6
11.09.2014 Jets Steelers 4 3-46 NYJ 22 20-6 Chris Ivory run 9
11.19.1995 Seahawks Redskins 4 3-45 SEA 2 17-10 Rick Mirer pass incomplete -
11.21.1999 Browns Panthers 4 2-45 CLE 10 3-31 Tim Couch pass complete to Terry Kirby 6
09.15.2002 Bengals Browns 4 4-45 CIN 37 7-20 Gus Frerotte pass incomplete -
11.09.1997 Saints Raiders 4 1-44 NOR 9 10-10 Ray Zellars run 14
11.14.1999 Redskins Eagles 4 2-43 PHI 43 27-27 Brad Johnson pass complete to Michael Westbrook 43
09.13.2015 Buccaneers Titans 3 3-42 TAM 11 7-35 Jameis Winston pass incomplete -
01.06.2002 Browns Steelers 3 2-41 CLE 5 7-14 Jamel White run 3
12.02.2001 Saints Panthers 4 2-41 NOR 26 20-13 Aaron Brooks pass incomplete -
12.02.2001 Saints Panthers 4 3-41 NOR 26 20-13 Aaron Brooks pass intercepted by Jimmy Hitchcock returned for 35 yards -
11.13.2005 Vikings Giants 3 3-41 MIN 42 14-13 Brad Johnson pass complete to Michael Bennett 2
10.02.2005 Bengals Texans 3 3-40 HTX 40 10-10 Carson Palmer pass complete to Chris Henry 15
12.24.1995 Jets Saints 3 3-40 NYJ 2 0-6 Bubby Brister pass complete right to Johnny Mitchell 11
09.23.2007 Browns Raiders 1 3-40 CLE 20 0-0 Jason Wright run 13
10.12.1997 Cardinals Giants 3 2-40 CRD 15 6-13 Stoney Case pass incomplete -
10.12.1997 Cardinals Giants 3 3-40 CRD 15 6-13 Stoney Case pass complete left to Larry Centers 9
12.30.2007 Seahawks Falcons 2 3-40 SEA 49 10-7 Matt Hasselbeck sacked by John Abraham, fumbles, Jonathan Babineaux returned for 11 yards -6
12.04.1994 Steelers Bengals 1 3-40 PIT 14 7-7 Bam Morris (?) run for 3 yards (tackle Dan Wilkinson, Tim Krumrie) 3
10.24.1971 Patriots Cowboys ? 4-63 ? ? Probably punt -
11.26.2015 Panthers Cowboys 3 4-40 CAR 2 23-3 punt -
That the Steelers faced 4th and 74 in 1970 is somewhat of an historical precedence.1 Considerable discussion abounds on the internet of a 4th and 64 faced by the Patriots against the Cowboys in 1971 as the lengthiest down-and-distance situation in the NFL but I failed to secure an original source.

Football miscalculations I will abstain from recounting yielded the Cleveland Browns’ offense three down and distance situations >= 40-yards in three separate games. Brad Johnson would appear twice on this list, for two separate drives, for two separate teams nonetheless. Fortunately for them, Washington never faced such a distance. As Philadelphia Daily News writer Marcus Hayes noted, Washington “took the lead on a two-play, 91-yard drive – passes of 48 and 43 yards to Westbrook…” Simply a recording error by League statisticians. Let us shift to college football: 


Table 2. Sampling of Lengthiest Down and Distance Situations in College Football
Date Division Team Opponent Quarter Down Spot Score Detail Yds notes
10.21.2004 FCS Northwestern State Nicholls State 3 3-61 NWS 2 14-33 Connor Morel pass incomplete (punt on 4th) -
10.08.2011 FBS Georgia Tennessee 4 4-57 UGA 31 20-6 Butler, D. punts -
11.12.2011 USCAA Concordia-Selma Stillman College 1 4-54 SC 25 0-7 Ron Partridge punt - fumble
09.21.2013 FCS Cornell Bucknell 2 4-53 Cor 13 0-10 Chris Fraser punts - penalties, sack
09.12.2009 FBS New Hampshire (FCS) Ball St. 3 3-51 NH 49 23-9 RJ Toman rush; punt on 4th 7 started 1&goal @ BS 10; 2 penalties, fumble, penalty
10.25.2014 D2 Bowie St. Virginia Union 1 4-51 VSU 32 0-0 Rush for loss of 25 to V45, fumble, VSU recoved at V32 - fumble
09.12.2015 FBS BYU Boise St 2 4-51 BYU 11 7-7 Johnny Linehan punts -
12.23.2005 FBS Kansas Houston 4 3-49 Kan 16 42-13 Brian Luke pass complete to Marcus Henry; punt on 4th 16 5 penalties
10.08.2011 FBS Texas Oklahoma 3 4-49 Tex 47 10-48 Justin Tucker punt - no panalties
11.22.2008 FBS Notre Dame Syracuse 3 2-47 ND 40 13-10 Claussen pass complete to Grimes; incomplete on 3rd; punt on 4th 7 penalty, sack, penalty
11.19.2005 FBS Duke UNC 2 3-46 Duke 25 14-14 QB draw -1 yard; then punt on 4th - fumble, penalty, sack
10.15.2016 FBS Army Lafayette 2 2-44 Army 30 35-7 Two incompletions followed by lost fumble on fake punt. - fumble, penalties
09.05.2015 NAIA/D2 Edward Waters College Morehouse 2 3-44 MHC 46 0-17 Sir Jackson pass incomplete to Ray Dukes. (punt on 4th) - errors statistician corrected
11.25.1989 FBS U Miami Notre Dame 3 3-44 Mia 7 10-17 Craig Erickson pass to Randall Hill 45
10.21.2006 FBS Indiana Ohio St. 2 4-43 Ind 18 3-21 Tyson Beatie punts - sack,sack+penalty
11.30.2013 FBS Kansas State Kansas 3 1-42 KS 40 21-10 Jake Walters rush 5
11.14.2015 FBS Georgia Auburn 4 3-41 UGA 25 10-10 Brendan Douglas rush 20
11.06.2014 FCS Miss Valley St. Grambling 4 4-37 50 23-38 Scott, D. pass incomplete to Stafford, J. -
In the collegiate game we witness feral athleticism, schematic diversity, and late-game trepidation. We also encounter gaudy futility. You can watch the Northwestern state offense penalize itself into a 3rd and 61 hole, here, or watch Miami overcome 3rd and 44, here. Although absent from Table 2, the 2014 Wake Forest offense is worth noting. Be it personnel, unpreparedness, ineffective schematics, or some combination thereof, the Wake Forest offense was startlingly inept. It surrendered 19, 19, and 18 tackles for losses in games against Utah St., Virginia Tech, and Clemson, respectively.

In this post, I attempted to provide a comprehensive sampling of lengthy down-and-distance situations representing all levels of football. I excluded high school football. Were you interested, you could probably unearth evidence of a 4th and 79 or similar adolescent absurdity. However, I was unable to verify any D3 down-and-distance situations but also I only searched for those > 60-yards to go. Surely such dire situations have occurred. In Table 3 below below appears a small sampling of outrageous—but illegitimate—down-and-distance situations found in D3 and elsewhere. 



Table 3. Sampling of Illegitimate Lengthy Down and Distance Situations
Date Division Team Opponent Down Notes
09.07.2013 D3 Washington U. UW-Whitewater 4-89 Probably due to reporting error. Also error of 2nd and 64 in PbP.
09.21.2013 D3 Frankling & Marshal Ursinus 2-81 Probably due to reporting error. Also error of 2nd and 68 in PbP.
09.21.2013 D3 Amherst Hamilton 3-75 Probably due to reporting error.
09.07.2013 FCS Central Connecticut Leigh 2-71 Probably due to reporting error.
09.28.2013 D3 Wilmington Heidelberg 2-67 Probably due to reporting error.
09.06.2014 D2 Fayetteville State Chowan 4-66 Probably due to reporting error.
09.21.2013 D3 Wilmington Otterbein 3-65 Probably due to error related to field position and penalty assessed on kickoff.
09.13.2014 D2 Lane College Clark Atlanta 2-64 Probably due to error in reporting start of drive. Should be LAN13 but was CAU35
09.12.2015 D3 Wisconson-Eau Claire Concordia-Moorhead 4-60 Probably due to error in computing of field position following interception.
09.19.2015 D3 Muskingum Mount Union 4-59 Probably should have been 4th and 17 due to fumble and penalties on punt.
1Although I uncovered an original source, I must credit Gary Peterson for unknowingly providing insight.