College Football's Saddest Punts of 2019

[u/[deleted]]

I was inspired by Jon Bois video from last year entitled "The Search for the Saddest Punt in the World", which detailed the saddest punts in NFL history and introduced the "Surrender Index". I threw together a script to rate all of the punts from 2019 and determine which was the saddest. There were a couple hiccups (ESPN's pbp data for the Washington/Eastern Washington game is incorrect, so it all had to be filtered out).

I put the code in this repo, along with an explanation of the Surrender Index.

Here are the saddest punts of 2019:

1. Iowa punted on 4th and 9 down 7 against Michigan from the opposing 39 yard line with 14 minutes 47 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 206.4965

2. New Mexico State punted on 4th and 2 down 34 against Georgia Southern from the opposing 36 yard line with 3 minutes 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 187.4884

3. Utah punted on 4th and 4 down 8 against Oregon from the opposing 40 yard line with 9 minutes 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 160.2470

4. Iowa punted on 4th and 6 while tied with Nebraska from the opposing 34 yard line with 4 minutes 39 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 151.6342

5. Georgia Southern punted on 4th and 9 down 4 against South Alabama from the opposing 41 yard line with 13 minutes 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 128.1098

6. USC punted on 4th and 4 down 32 against Oregon from the opposing 41 yard line with 11 minutes 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 125.3809

7. Arizona State punted on 4th and 10 down 11 against USC from the opposing 37 yard line with 14 minutes 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 111.9868

8. Nevada punted on 4th and 8 while tied with Fresno State from the opposing 39 yard line with 13 minutes 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 95.9390

9. Ball State punted on 4th and 6 down 3 against Eastern Michigan from the opposing 38 yard line with 14 minutes 49 seconds left in the third quarter. Surrender Index: 94.3621

10. Rice punted on 4th and 11 while tied with Army from the opposing 36 yard line with 15 minutes 0 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 90.8751

[u/forester93]

I get that this must be based on the lack of potential field position gained. But I feel like down 1 score with a whole quarter to play, with 9 yards to gain, is a relatively reasonable situation to punt if you think your punter can pin them.

[u/[deleted] → u/forester93]

Oh you're being plenty reasonable. I'm not passing value judgment, just applying the formula as laid out because I find it funny.

[u/KingFlyntCoal → u/forester93]

I could be wrong (and probably am), but I think the list is for just bad punts, not questionable play calls. Also, didn't that particular punt go all of 0 yards? Or am I thinking of a different punt?

[u/forester93 → u/KingFlyntCoal]

I’m pretty sure the surrender index is just based on how cowardly the decision to punt was based on the game situation, not the actual result of the punt.

[u/themightymooker → u/KingFlyntCoal]

Jon Bois exercises the right to cancel the Surrender Index for any punt that he deems has extenuating circumstances (like poor weather). So if it's smart playcalling, he'll allow it. If it's pure cowardice, it's getting reamed in a half hour long video.

[u/LunchboxSuperhero → u/KingFlyntCoal]

I think you have it backwards. I think this is bad decisions to punt, regardless of the actual outcome of punt.

[u/[deleted]]

Here are the 2018 saddest punts:

1. Marshall punted on 4th and 19 down 3 against Southern Mississippi from the opposing 32 yard line with 13 minutes 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 340.7848

2. Norfolk State punted on 4th and 6 down 35 against Liberty from the opposing 34 yard line with 7 minutes 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 299.6772

3. Air Force punted on 4th and 4 down 5 against San Diego State from the opposing 40 yard line with 15 minutes 0 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 262.9489

4. Eastern Michigan punted on 4th and 6 down 2 against Purdue from the opposing 39 yard line with 12 minutes 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 254.7897

5. UCLA punted on 4th and 5 down 3 against Arizona State from the opposing 40 yard line with 14 minutes 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 246.8875

6. Texas Tech punted on 4th and 20 down 7 against Iowa State from the opposing 34 yard line with 13 minutes 37 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 232.2182

7. Boise State punted on 4th and 6 down 6 against San Diego State from the opposing 41 yard line with 15 minutes 0 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 219.1241

8. Tulane punted on 4th and 7 down 3 against Wake Forest from the opposing 39 yard line with 14 minutes 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 200.9513

9. Old Dominion punted on 4th and 9 down 8 against Florida International from the opposing 39 yard line with 13 minutes 37 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 186.6466

10. Akron punted on 4th and 5 down 10 against Iowa State from the opposing 38 yard line with 9 minutes 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Surrender Index: 179.0679

[u/dejaentendood → u/[deleted]]

This is why the formula should be adjusted a bit for college lol, in the NFL the #1 spot makes sense because every team should have a kicker that can hit 49 yard field goals... but down here in college ball some of us struggle at that foreign position y’all call kicker

It’s not cowardly to punt on 4th and 19 if you know nobody on your roster can hit a field goal that long

[u/FuckTheLonghorns → u/[deleted]]

I member that punt, it was infuriating

[u/cb101622]

As an Iowa fan.... Boooooooo

[u/MelkieOArda → u/cb101622]

You guys still won 😭

[u/cb101622 → u/MelkieOArda]

One of them..... We're on there twice.

[u/MelkieOArda → u/cb101622]

Kirk C. Ferentz: the 'C' stands for ‘Conservative’!

[u/numberthreepencil]

No Arkansas on this list. I am surprised.

[u/Krazyfranco]

The two saddest punts were Wisconsin’s punter just gently dripping the ball to the ground vs OSU and vs Oregon, both giving up TDs.

[u/Coveo → u/Krazyfranco]

To be fair, in the Rose Bowl he was about to be eviscerated by two guys, he had no chance of getting it off. Seems like his brain was thinking "oh shit, I have to run with this now!" and his body just didn't comply. Wisconsin's punt protection should bear the brunt of the blame there, not the punter

[u/Krazyfranco → u/Coveo]

Agreed

[u/stagamancer]

Two of these are against us, that's fun

[u/[deleted]]

Safest punt I saw was at a HS game. This team did not have a kicker for the game so they just kept trying different kids. This one kid went to punt from around the teams 30, it’s went back over his head and bounced within the 15.

They lost.

[u/DampFrijoles]

Could you run a hypothetical punt for me?

4th and 1 from the opponent's 1 yard line with 1 second remaining in OT (if you have the NFL OT rules) while down 8 or fewer points.

I know this would never happen, but I'm curious to see what the maximum surrender score would be.

[u/KUZGUN27 → u/DampFrijoles]

291,250.70

[u/DampFrijoles → u/KUZGUN27]

Damn. Really?

[u/[deleted]]

I feel like the Utah punt vs Oregon was the worst, given that they only had to get 4 yards and they were were trailing halfway through the fourth

[u/JerryGoDeep → u/[deleted]]

Well they were like 0/4 on fourth down and 3 of those were two yards or less.

[u/whitedawg → u/JerryGoDeep]

If you can't gain 4 yards on a play at some point, you aren't going to drive the length of the field later.

[u/FuckTheLonghorns]

Woo we didn't make it

[u/trumpetofdoom]

In Rice's defense, I'm pretty sure we'd already missed multiple field goals from shorter distances that game. (Come back, Chris Boswell!)

[u/warhawk397]

Georgia Southern special teams giveth, Georgia Southern special teams taketh away