Kent State’s late field goal attempts lead to all-time bad beat

The odds were stacked against the Kent State Golden Flashes in their 2021 opener. Entering with seven wins in their last eight contests, Kent State traveled to College Station in hopes of upsetting the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies. Vegas set the line at Kent State (+29.5), giving the Golden Flashes leeway of four touchdowns to cover.

In the first half, Kent State remained one step behind the Aggies the entire time. Thanks to a pair of Elvis Hines interceptions and a crucial fourth down stop, the Golden Flashes defense held Texas A&M in check. But Kent State threw an interception of its own in the end zone just seconds before halftime, entering the break with a 10-3 deficit — still a one-possession game.

The third quarter could not have been more fortunate to the home team. A Leon O’Neal pick six swung the momentum in favor of the Aggies which opened the second half with 24 unanswered points. In the middle of the final frame, Kent State re-entered cover territory with its first touchdown of the night, a 1-yard rush by backup quarterback Collin Schlee. But Texas A&M responded with a touchdown two minutes later, securing a 41-10 lead with 6:26 remaining.

Kent State was unable to score on consecutive possessions and punted to the Aggies after a quick three-and-out. However, Texas A&M wide receiver Ainias Smith muffed the punt and the Golden Flashes recovered six yards away from the end zone. With a 31-point deficit and a spread of 29.5, all Kent State needed was a field goal to cover the spread.

Kent State’s offense creeped onto the doorstep of the end zone, facing a 3rd and goal at the 1. But Schlee took a brutal third down sack on a designed run which positioned the Golden Flashes back to the 8-yard line. Instead of attempting an offensive play on fourth down, Kent State sent out freshman kicker Andrew Glass, who sunk his first career field goal attempt of 30 yards on the game’s opening drive.

This time, the 25-yard kick sailed wide left and with 3:20 remaining, it appeared Kent State squandered its opportunity to cover.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Roughly two minutes of game clock exhausted and then, Kent State’s Nico Bolden intercepted Texas A&M backup quarterback Zach Calzada — the Golden Flashes’ fourth interception of the night. Bolden raced the ball back to Texas A&M territory before the Aggies brought him down at the 30.

A few quick completions by Schlee steadily moved Kent State closer and closer to their second end zone appearance of the night. Head coach Sean Lewis ensured no timeouts would be left on the board, and it was clear Kent State had its mind set on adding to the scoreboard before the game concluded.

After an 8-yard Schlee run brought Kent State down to the Aggies’ 7-yard line, Lewis called a timeout with two seconds remaining on the game clock. Once again, he brought out the kicker for a field goal attempt. This time, the length of the kick — also from the left hash — was 24 yards.

Disaster struck in the form of a doink, clanking off the right upright.

Texas A&M coasted to a 41-10 victory, and while the game was far from a nail-biter, plenty of people across the country were invested in the bizarre roller coaster of events in the final minutes. Two missed field goals allowed Texas A&M (-29.5) to somehow escape as the prevailing bet Saturday night.