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.