Extra points aren’t supposed to be game-changing plays. But on Saturday, several college football contests were altered because of failed conversion attempts. No game hinged more on this than the matchup in Annapolis. Navy’s unthinkable comeback was derailed after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty pushed the Mids’ extra-point try back, and kicker Jon Teague’s 35-yard attempt was blocked by Air Force in overtime, leading to the Falcons’ 35-34 victory.
But Navy’s miss was far from the only failed attempt.
A week after Syracuse was the beneficiary of a missed extra point incorrectly ruled good, kicker Ross Krautman missed two field goals and had an extra point blocked, and the Orange proceeded to fall in overtime to Rutgers. Maybe that was kicking karma.
In top-25 action, Auburn and then-No. 10 South Carolina each missed extra-point attempts in a 16-13 victory by the Tigers. UCLA missed two extra points against No. 6 Stanford. And No. 7 Wisconsin missed an extra point early vs. No. 8 Nebraska.
With kicking struggles so evident in college football, how many more games will be affected by failed extra points?
– Jeffrey Tomik
