Once in a blue moon, things go off the rails for even the most seasoned of college football teams.
Take, for instance, the plight of No. 6 Missouri at the end of the third quarter of its game against No. 24 Boston College on Saturday.
It started very normally, with a first down for the Tigers on the Eagles' 38-yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct call on wide receiver Luther Burden, however, backed Missouri up 15 yards. On second-and-25, the Tigers were flagged for having an ineligible receiver downfield—costing them five more yards.
With 48 seconds left in the third quarter, things entered the realm of silliness. Burden and wide receiver Mekhi Miller were both flagged for personal fouls—and the enforcement of both fouls gave Missouri an exceptionally rare second-and-59.
The Tigers got 30 yards back on a pair of runs from running back Nate Noel, but still had to punt on fourth-and-28.
It's a cliche for sports teams in sticky situations, but there was truly nowhere to go but up for Missouri after that.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Missouri Faces Absurd Second-and-59 vs. Boston College After Litany of Penalties.