25 Most Bone-Headed Mistakes of the 2011 College Football Season

After 14 glorious weeks of college football, it’s easy to push back from the dinette table and muse about the amazing feats we’ve seen on the field of honor.

But, what’s maybe even a little more entertaining and certainly a bit more unsettling is thinking back to the boneheaded mistakes we’ve collectively witnessed in the 2011 season.

The following slideshow pays tribute to the bad, the worse and the ugly by pinpointing a mere 25 stupendous errors that have occurred since the season kicked off in September.

This is by no means a comprehensive catalog of collegiate gridiron blunders, but instead, a carefully sewn sampler of boo-boos, slip-ups and football faux pas.

Devin Gardner from Michigan Scrambles

This 4th-and-22 play late in the Oct. 15 Michigan at Michigan State game went very poorly…the Spartans went on to win the day 28-14 but were kept out of the BCS by virtue of the Wolverines CLEPing out of the Big Ten title game.

The Essence of Indiana’s Season is Summed Up in a Punt

And here’s an epic shank punt recovery from Indiana’s 59-7 loss to Wisconsin back on Oct. 15.

This play is representative of the Hoosiers devastating 1-11 season that was highlighted by a Week 3 38-21 win over FCS South Carolina State.

Ouch.

SMU’s Ineffective Surprise

You have to sit through a bunch of video to get a peek at this one, but it’s basically SMU’s kicker Brad Namdar boneheading a surprise onside kick in quite an epic manner in the Mustangs' Week 1 clash with Texas A&M.

The Aggies went on to win the game 46-14 but dropped to 6-6 by season’s end while SMU wrapped up at 7-5.

Fancy Meeting You Here

It’s hardly a surprise that the QB and RB would meet behind the offensive line, but Duke’s offensive skill players look stunned. Then, they seemed to be in a daze when they literally ran into each other in their Nov. 19 game against Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets went on to win the game 38-31.

No Knee Costs the Season

This one happened in the FCS playoffs when Wofford took on Northern Iowa. 

On a Northern Iowa kickoff, Stephon Shelton of Wofford forgot to take a knee in the end zone, and the mistake almost unfathomably resulted in a Northern Iowa TD that ultimately cost Wofford the game.

This one is painful to watch but impossible to forget.

Imposter Ref Stripper Calls Play Dead Sparking Bench-Clearing Brawl

It’s UCLA vs. Arizona 2011…a storyline that pretty much speaks for itself.

Unbelievable.

Ducks Fly Wide Left

Yet another kick that cost a squad an opportunity to play for the big BCS enchilada.

Oregon’s Alejandro Maldonado’s 37-yard miss as time expired in the epic Nov. 19 clash between the Ducks and Trojans wasn’t necessarily boneheaded, but it was absolutely damaging.

USC triumphed 38-35, and Oregon’s second loss sealed their postseason fate.

Unintentional Devastation

Michigan State’s Big Ten title hopes died suddenly and in devastating fashion when a roughing-the-kicker call cost them a chance to knock off Wisconsin in the first ever Big Ten championship game.

This is one of the most ruinous single plays of the 2011 season, and though it was unintentional, there was simply no other option for the zebras but to throw the fateful flag.

Toldeo Gets Screwed

In perhaps the worst officiating gaffe in 2011 (or recent history), Syracuse’s clearly missed PAT is counted on the field and then confirmed by a replay booth gone insane.

The point ultimately cost Toledo the game, and the Orange went on to ice the Rockets 33-30 in an overtime that should have never been played.

WVU Looks for More and Gets Less

To paint a not-so-pretty picture…it’s 20-7 LSU over West Virginia with 37 seconds left to go in the first half, and rather than go to the locker room, lick their wounds and regroup, the Mountaineers call a swing pass on third down.

The pass is tipped and picked in dramatic fashion by LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu (aka the Honey Badger) who takes the ball to the WVU 1-yard line.

The Tigers score on the next play, and instead of a 13-point deficit, the Mountaineers go into the half down 27-7 and ultimately lose 47-21.

Graham Gaffes

Pitt was up 27-17 on Iowa with only eight minutes left on the clock when Todd Graham opted to go for it on a 4th-and-3 from Iowa’s 36.

Rather than pin the Hawkeyes deep in their own territory, Pitt threw an incompletion, gave the ball back to Iowa with a relatively short field and the rest, as they say is history. 

Panthers fall 31-27, and Todd Graham runs a reverse at the end of the season, leaves Pittsburgh in the night for the allure of the Arizona State job.

Really?

Ejection without Representation

From the Week 4, Friday night Utah State vs. BYU contest, Aggie DB McKade Brady gets thrown out of the game for “targeting” BYU’s Ross Apo.

Apo had suffered a concussion the week before, and the play was deemed dangerous due to Brady leaving his feet.

A personal foul may have been warranted, but an ejection seemed to be an overreaction on the part of the officials.

RGIII Gets Picked by K-State

I don’t know that the “boneheaded” label is fair to give to the Heisman-anointed Robert Griffin III, but this rare interception toss cost Baylor the game and from a long-term perspective, a BCS berth.

The final score was 35-34 Kansas State, and this was the one loss of Baylor’s three that could have realistically hinged on one blown play.

It’s easy to lose sight of what Baylor could have done due to their program high achievements.

Hey! We Can’t Win Here, Let’s Go Some Place Even Harder…

From a long-term perspective, Texas A&M’s move to the SEC may become one of the savviest decisions in college sport, but from a short-term view, it just looks fraught.

With all the stars finally aligned, the Aggies were primed to make a run in 2011, declared their departure to the SEC and then tanked to a 6-6 finish pock marked with blown leads.

A&M hasn’t been relevant in the Big 12 in well over a decade which makes their pending move to the SEC West seem mightily scary.

Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon Gets Cheeky

Cowboy standout Justin Blackmon gets a little too cute on this TD run vs. Texas A&M on Sept. 24.

Even though Blackmon’s cock-a-fied faux pas resulted in a Texas A&M score, Oklahoma State’s 21-point third quarter sealed an improbable 30-29 Cowboy win.

Gnashing of Teeth at the Jones

Texas Tech was down 28-0 to Oklahoma State in the second quarter of their Nov. 12 meeting when they started their comeback charge (not so much) by managing one of the worst kick-off muffs in history.

The result was a 35-0 deficit on the way to a 66-6 rout.

I need therapy.

Tajh Boyd’s Desperation Pick Six

This error took place during the third quarter of the Sept. 24 game pitting Clemson against Florida State when Tiger QB Tajh Boyd gave “cough it up” a whole new meaning.

Despite the devastating nature of the play, Clemson went on to win the game 35-30, the division and the ACC crown.

Ummm…Epic Ugly

This great moment in traumatization came via the Oct. 1 game pitting Cornell vs. Wagner in Ithaca, NY.

The scenario is a familiar one…Wagner’s punter mishandles a ball, gets a line drive off that, gets blocked and is ultimately picked up by a Wagner player who runs the wrong direction and then tries to salvage the play. 

The ultimate result was a 60-yard loss, and Cornell got the ball back on the Wagner 5.

Not surprisingly, Cornell won the ball game 31-7.

Don’t Show Your Wings or Any Emotion

In the Oct. 8 meeting between LSU and Florida, Tiger punter Brad Wing runs a fake punt in for a TD, but after opening his arms in an apparent subliminal communication to Florida Gators, Wing is penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the touchdown is taken away.

It’s your call whether Wing is the bonehead, or instead, it’s the rule makers or the enforcers of this subjective legislature.

Boise State’s BCS Dreams Sail Wide Right

This 39-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the Nov. 12 clash between Boise State and TCU is hardly a “boneheaded” play, but it is a mistake no less—and a costly one at that.

Indeed, Boise’s Dan Goodale’s miss cost the Broncos a perfect season and any real communication with the folks over at the velvet-lined BCS.

Yes, this is the precise moment that the BCS unfriended Boise State on Facebook.

Don’t Throw to the Middle of the Field with 9 Ticks Left

The 2011 edition of USC vs. Stanford went down to the wire, and time ultimately ran out on the Trojans attempt to break a 34-34 tie in regulation when Matt Barkley threw a pass to the Robert Woods who couldn’t get out of bounds.

It was a great play, and Woods’ knee appeared to be quite down, but the officials voted “no,” and the game went to overtime where Stanford triumphed 56-48 in the third extra period.

If USC could have managed to have a couple of seconds left in regulation, they could have kicked for the win and avoided the overtime decision.

The Kicking Disaster of the Century

Even though the loss didn’t wind up costing Alabama an opportunity to play for another national championship, the Crimson Tides’ missed field goals in their “game of the century” vs. LSU is one of the more bizarre mistake-ridden storylines of 2011.

In total, Alabama missed four field goals and lost 9-6 in overtime…it’s pretty easy to do the math.

Rumble, Bumble, Stumble

This bit o’ blunder comes courtesy of BYU QB Jake Heaps in the Cougars not-so-nice 54-10, September 17 beatdown at the hands of Utah.

The Super Duper Muff

You have to watch through about half of this Nebraska-themed highlight reel to get to the meat-of-the-muff featuring Washington’s Bishop Sankey.

Sankey was attempting a kick-off return in the Week 3 matchup of Washington and Nebraska—a game that the Huskers won 51-38.

OSU Misses the National Championship

This may have been the most costly missed kick of the 2011 season, but this play has the added bonus of being controversial.

If Oklahoma State’s Quinn Sharp’s field goal attempt with just over a minute left on the clock is called good, then the Cowboys go on to play LSU in the BCS national championship.

Instead, the kick is called no-good; the Cowboys succumb to the Cyclones in double-overtime, and the rest, again, is history.

This is by no means as blatant as the call in the Syracuse vs. Toledo debacle, but this particular decision basically decided the fate of the SEC championship rematch.