I did a rewatch last night, and wanted to go through and make note of every play which could have/would have resulted in Texas winning the game in regulation had we executed better on those plays. I came up with 17 total, and the list is below.
Before anyone gets mad at me for going negative, let me tell everyone that I am happy with the win, that Texas won because they made a lot more winning plays than the 17 plays that could have secured the win before overtime. Included in the winning play list would be 3 4th down stops, 14 stops on 3rd down, the interception to seal the game, the blocked FG, the punt return TD, and pretty much every single pass thrown by Quinn on every scoring drive in the 4th quarter and OT. In other words, a LOT more than 17 winning plays.
So here's the list and my thoughts on each:
#1: 13:23 1st quarter: Texas running into the kicker penalty extends an Arizona St drive that ultimately results in 3 points. Note that this was a bad call because you can not commit this penalty if the punter moves outside the tackle box, but bad calls happen, and Sark and Jeff Banks had no clue this rule even existed based on their reaction to the call. I STILL don't know how this punt was not blocked to set up Texas with a short field.
#2: 11:32 1st quarter: 15 yard facemask penalty on Anthony Hill, which helps Arizona St get into field goal range for 3 points. They don't generate enough offense on that drive to get into FG range without this 15 yards.
#3: 2:05 2nd quarter: Arizona St executes a fake punt for a 1st down. If Texas stops that fake punt, they are set up to score 3 or 7 more points before halftime. I know some have said Az St had illegal lineman downfield on this play. I rewatched the play a few times, and the farthest lineman downfield looked to me to be at ~4 yards downfield when the pass was released, and the rule is 3 yards is max allowed. So yes it could have been called but it was borderline and there's so much unusual stuff going on during this play, it's easy to see how the refs missed this call.
#4: 7:38 3rd quarter: Safety for Arizona St. Golden badly misses a block that causes the TFL/Fumble, but after the fumble recovery, Quinn had a brief opportunity to pass/spike the ball at either of the two eligible receivers right in front of him on the ground. Had he done this, it would have been a legal incomplete pass and Texas still has the ball with no safety awarded. I don't call this a bad play by Quinn, but simply a missed opportunity to make a brilliant split second play.
#5: 8:20 4th quarter: Az St converts a first down on 3rd and 10 when Texas lines up with no LBers in the middle of the field and allows Skattebo to run the ball straight up the middle for 15 yards untouched. Taaffe has an opportunity to make a nearly impossible open field tackle short of the first down but misses.
#6: 6:40 4th quarter: Az St executes a RB pass for a TD on 4th down. My issue with this play... the ball was in the air so long, there was no excuse for not having anyone in position to break up the pass before it landed in the lap of the WR. Manny gets turned the wrong way on the WR route, doesn't locate the ball after that, and Taaffe bites on the run action where he can't get back in time, despite the ball being in the air for 17 seconds and way underthrown.
#7: 6:40 4th quarter: Az St converts a 2 point conversion when a busted coverage leaves a WR wide open in the end zone.
#8: 5:45 4th quarter: Quinn throws an INT into double coverage deep, on a play when he had two WRs wide open short in the flats on both sides of the field for a likely 1st down conversion. Pretty clear he decided to throw the deep ball no matter what before the ball was snapped.
#9: 5:30 4th quarter: Az St long pass play complete to Skattebo. Taaffe gets beat badly initially, commits defensive PI, still lets him catch the ball, then commits a facemask on the tackle. Getting beat, he should have sold out on committing the PI, forced an incompletion, and limited the damage to 15 yards. Instead, it ends up being a 71 yard play altogether with penalty yardage.
(note - plays 6-9 occurred over a total of 5 plays from scrimmage)
#10: 5:10 4th quarter: PI committed by Barron on a pass that looked uncatchable to me. Instead of 3rd and goal at the 9, it becomes 1st and goal at the 2. Az St would score on the next play.
#11: 5:10 4th quarter: 2 point conversion try 1. Texas can't tackle QB who scrambles around for 15 seconds, and gets the stop but commits defensive holding penalty. Questionable call, but unnecessary to grab the WR on the play. I know some have said Az St had illegal lineman downfield on this play. The guy was in the 3-4 yard range downfield (just beyond the goal line), and the rule is 3 yards is max allowed. So yes it could have been called but it was borderline.
#12: 5:10 4th quarter: 2 point conversion try 2: Allow Skattebo to run the ball in for the conversion and to tie the game in the process.
#13: 4:40 4th quarter: False start penalty (see play 15)
#14: 2:00 4th quarter: False start penalty (see play 15)
#15: 1:44 4th quarter: Auburn misses 48 yard FG. This would have been a 38 yard FG if not for the two false start penalties on this drive.
#16: 0:52 4th quarter: False start penalty (see play 17)
#17: 0:02 4th quarter: Auburn misses 38 yard game winning FG off the upright. Would have been 33 yard FG and snuck inside the upright if not for false start penalty on this drive.
Before anyone gets mad at me for going negative, let me tell everyone that I am happy with the win, that Texas won because they made a lot more winning plays than the 17 plays that could have secured the win before overtime. Included in the winning play list would be 3 4th down stops, 14 stops on 3rd down, the interception to seal the game, the blocked FG, the punt return TD, and pretty much every single pass thrown by Quinn on every scoring drive in the 4th quarter and OT. In other words, a LOT more than 17 winning plays.
So here's the list and my thoughts on each:
#1: 13:23 1st quarter: Texas running into the kicker penalty extends an Arizona St drive that ultimately results in 3 points. Note that this was a bad call because you can not commit this penalty if the punter moves outside the tackle box, but bad calls happen, and Sark and Jeff Banks had no clue this rule even existed based on their reaction to the call. I STILL don't know how this punt was not blocked to set up Texas with a short field.
#2: 11:32 1st quarter: 15 yard facemask penalty on Anthony Hill, which helps Arizona St get into field goal range for 3 points. They don't generate enough offense on that drive to get into FG range without this 15 yards.
#3: 2:05 2nd quarter: Arizona St executes a fake punt for a 1st down. If Texas stops that fake punt, they are set up to score 3 or 7 more points before halftime. I know some have said Az St had illegal lineman downfield on this play. I rewatched the play a few times, and the farthest lineman downfield looked to me to be at ~4 yards downfield when the pass was released, and the rule is 3 yards is max allowed. So yes it could have been called but it was borderline and there's so much unusual stuff going on during this play, it's easy to see how the refs missed this call.
#4: 7:38 3rd quarter: Safety for Arizona St. Golden badly misses a block that causes the TFL/Fumble, but after the fumble recovery, Quinn had a brief opportunity to pass/spike the ball at either of the two eligible receivers right in front of him on the ground. Had he done this, it would have been a legal incomplete pass and Texas still has the ball with no safety awarded. I don't call this a bad play by Quinn, but simply a missed opportunity to make a brilliant split second play.
#5: 8:20 4th quarter: Az St converts a first down on 3rd and 10 when Texas lines up with no LBers in the middle of the field and allows Skattebo to run the ball straight up the middle for 15 yards untouched. Taaffe has an opportunity to make a nearly impossible open field tackle short of the first down but misses.
#6: 6:40 4th quarter: Az St executes a RB pass for a TD on 4th down. My issue with this play... the ball was in the air so long, there was no excuse for not having anyone in position to break up the pass before it landed in the lap of the WR. Manny gets turned the wrong way on the WR route, doesn't locate the ball after that, and Taaffe bites on the run action where he can't get back in time, despite the ball being in the air for 17 seconds and way underthrown.
#7: 6:40 4th quarter: Az St converts a 2 point conversion when a busted coverage leaves a WR wide open in the end zone.
#8: 5:45 4th quarter: Quinn throws an INT into double coverage deep, on a play when he had two WRs wide open short in the flats on both sides of the field for a likely 1st down conversion. Pretty clear he decided to throw the deep ball no matter what before the ball was snapped.
#9: 5:30 4th quarter: Az St long pass play complete to Skattebo. Taaffe gets beat badly initially, commits defensive PI, still lets him catch the ball, then commits a facemask on the tackle. Getting beat, he should have sold out on committing the PI, forced an incompletion, and limited the damage to 15 yards. Instead, it ends up being a 71 yard play altogether with penalty yardage.
(note - plays 6-9 occurred over a total of 5 plays from scrimmage)
#10: 5:10 4th quarter: PI committed by Barron on a pass that looked uncatchable to me. Instead of 3rd and goal at the 9, it becomes 1st and goal at the 2. Az St would score on the next play.
#11: 5:10 4th quarter: 2 point conversion try 1. Texas can't tackle QB who scrambles around for 15 seconds, and gets the stop but commits defensive holding penalty. Questionable call, but unnecessary to grab the WR on the play. I know some have said Az St had illegal lineman downfield on this play. The guy was in the 3-4 yard range downfield (just beyond the goal line), and the rule is 3 yards is max allowed. So yes it could have been called but it was borderline.
#12: 5:10 4th quarter: 2 point conversion try 2: Allow Skattebo to run the ball in for the conversion and to tie the game in the process.
#13: 4:40 4th quarter: False start penalty (see play 15)
#14: 2:00 4th quarter: False start penalty (see play 15)
#15: 1:44 4th quarter: Auburn misses 48 yard FG. This would have been a 38 yard FG if not for the two false start penalties on this drive.
#16: 0:52 4th quarter: False start penalty (see play 17)
#17: 0:02 4th quarter: Auburn misses 38 yard game winning FG off the upright. Would have been 33 yard FG and snuck inside the upright if not for false start penalty on this drive.
