ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: a 17-play drive ends on a punt

The play-by-play reads like a fantasy novel.

Playing at home against Arizona in Week 4, the Oregon State Beavers pulled off something that’s probably happened before but is nonetheless jarring to come across in real life. The Beavs had a 17-play drive, and it ended not with a touchdown, not with a field goal, not with an interception, not with a fumble, and not even with a turnover on downs.

It ended with a punt. Let’s track this magical journey together.

To set our scene, the Beavers got the ball at their own 21-yard line after a kickoff return. They were trailing in the third quarter, 21-7.

That’s not really the ideal game state for a ball-control drive that doesn’t end in points. Ideally, you’re trying to move the ball with some pace to get back into the game.

Play 1: First-and-10 at the OSU 21

Running back Jermar Jefferson gets stacked up for a 2-yard loss.

Play 2: Second-and-12 at the OSU 19

Conor Blount connects with Isaiah Smalls for a 4-yard gain.

Play 3: Third-and-8 at the OSU 23

Blount finds Trevon Bradford for 10 yards and an Oregon State Beaver first down.

Play 4: First-and-10 at the OSU 33

An incomplete pass, intended for Smalls.

Play 5: Second-and-10 at the OSU 33

A 2-yard completion from Blount to Bradford

Play 6: Third-and-8 at the OSU 35

An 8-yard completion from Blount to Bradford, narrowly moving the sticks.

Play 7: First-and-10 at the OSU 43

A 6-yard Jefferson carry.

Play 8: Second-and-4 at the OSU 49

A 3-yard Jefferson carry.

Play 9: Third-and-1 at the Arizona 48

A 4-yard Jefferson carry. At this point, it’s taken nine plays, and none of those nine plays has gained more than 10 yards, but the Beavers are firmly on the march. They’re across midfield, having chewed through the Wildcats’ dam and made a decent bit of progress.

Play 10: First-and-10 at the Arizona 44

Blount runs for no gain, but as he gets to the sideline and takes a hit there, the Wildcats are called for a personal foul. That’s 15 free yards and a first down.

Play 11: First-and-10 at the Arizona 29

A sack costs the Beavs 2 yards.

Play 12: Second-and-12 at the Arizona 31

An 8-yard completion from Blount to Jefferson gets 8 yards and brings up ...

Play 13: Third-and-4 at the Arizona 23

An 8-yard Jefferson carry, and the Beavers are in the red zone.

Play 14: First-and-10 at the Arizona 15

Blount runs out of bounds for no gain, but there’s a holding penalty on the Beavers’ Noah Togiai, assessed from the line of scrimmage. That pushes OSU back 10 yards.

Play 15: First-and-20 at the Arizona 25.

Blount fumbles but falls on it, costing 4 more yards.

Play 16: Second-and-24 at the Arizona 29

Another holding penalty assessed from the line of scrimmage, this one on receiver Timmy Hernandez, backs the Beavs back 10 more yards. Suddenly, there are problems.

The official scorer rules no play, so the next play is also the 16th play of the drive, officially.

Play 16, again: Second-and-34 at the Arizona 39

A 2-yard completion from Blount to Kase Rogers.

Play 17: Third-and-32 from the Arizona 37

A negative-1-yard run by Rogers backs the Beavs up to the Wildcats’ 38. That’s a solid 56-yard field goal if coach Jonathan Smith wants it, but that’s a lot to ask of a kicker.

Then, our magical punt.

A 32-yard boot by Daniel Rodriguez, fair-caught at the Arizona 6.

(Punts are not typically counted as plays on a drive. You might disagree with this or find it disrespectful toward special teams. I don’t disagree, but this is the world we’re stuck with.)

And that’s how a 17-yard drive that takes 8:37 on the clock ends with no real excitement for either team, but instead with a field-position-improving punt.

The average play was 2.4 yards, if you factor in penalty yardage. A good time was had by all.

This drive was not a record length of plays, if you were wondering. The all-time FBS record is 26, pulled off by Navy against New Mexico in 2004.