The past couple of weeks have been prime examples of pretty bad football. It’s not even the play calls; it’s clock management. The New York Giants and the Washington Redskins (I’ll never call them the Commanders) tied after Washington’s quarterback, Jayden Daniels, had a brain fart about the clock, the down, and, most importantly, the lack of timeouts. A game-winning field goal in overtime could’ve sealed it after Giants running back Cam Skattebo fumbled badly. Instead, Washington marched, got within field goal range, and let time run out. It’s a horror show, really. But UPenn had it worse.
On October 16, UPenn and Columbia University met in an Ivy League showdown. It was another situation where a field goal would win it for the Quakers, and they coughed it up. No, I don’t mean a fumble: they knew what to do, but they forgot they could’ve spiked it for a more manageable field goal. The Quakers were at the Lions’ 35-yard line. It was 2nd and 10. With ten seconds to go, they didn’t spike it. Instead, they made a mad dash to get the special teams unit on the field. It was a shambolic display, with not even the kicker on the field. The hasty attempt led to a field goal that fell short, giving Columbia a 28-27 win.
Penn with the strangest end of game lineup change ever. Why didn't they spike it? https://t.co/meSVLeHmaG
— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) October 17, 2026
Talk about a brutal ending.
Yet it’s not the only circus.
In Provo, Notre Dame fell to Brigham Young University Saturday, 28-24. All three phases of the Fighting Irish made mistakes. It was an ugly game for the Irish, but one turnover was especially brutal: Irish quarterback CJ Carr didn't have full possession when he spiked it damn-near on the goal line, giving ND a guaranteed trip to halftime with points. If that had happened, it could’ve sealed their final drive with a game-winning chip-shot field goal. Instead, officials ruled it a fumble, and BYU recovered, even though the whistle had blown the play dead beforehand. They also called the game with one second left, which would’ve given the Irish another chance at the end zone. Either way, the game should’ve never been that chaotic, but that fumble was a killer.
This is going on EVERY Situational Football Cutup this week 😳 No firm control of the football before the spike. WILD! https://t.co/pdqfhqW2gP
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) October 18, 2026
Don’t fumble the spike before halftime and you have a chip shot field goal to win. BYU is a good team, but the Irish blew this one.
— Ryan Talbot (@RyanTalbotBills) October 18, 2026
Then came a shambolic ending to last month's high school game between King Philip Regional High School and Milford High School: King Philip Regional’s quarterback, Brody Zolak, also fumbled on a spike attempt. That sealed it. Milford won 23-20. The ball was reportedly on the 25-yard line.
OH MY GOD…. Zolak fumbles the spike and Milford recovers… pardon my language here, I was in aw. Milford will win 23-20 https://t.co/nhEbWOA85f
— Alex Agrella (@AlexAgrellaRB) September 19, 2026
