Punting Gone Awry: Five College Football Haibun
Image credit: Birthplace of College Football plaque, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. Photograph by Marylandstater, 2020. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Poet’s Note:
The Haiku Society of America defines a haibun as “a terse, relatively short prose poem in the haikai style, usually including both lightly humorous and more serious elements, and typically ending with a haiku.” (Haiku Society of America: Haiku Definitions. https://www.hsa-haiku.org/hsa-definitions.html)
#1: A Soul-Crushing Loss
It is one thing to lose a blowout game. It is another thing to lose by one, two, or three points as the game winds down. The Iowa Hawkeyes have a knack for breaking their opponents’ hearts at the last minute. On September 26, 2026, they beat the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, 20–19, stunning the home fans. With two seconds left, Iowa quarterback Hank Brown threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee, completing a 91-yard drive and giving Iowa the victory.
Under the excellent leadership of Kirk Ferentz, Iowa often stays within striking distance and waits for an opportunity late in the game. Sometimes that opportunity comes from a decisive play; other times, Iowa capitalizes on an opponent’s mistakes. Football is a mental game, and players can lose their focus late in the fourth quarter. Iowa has shown an ability to take advantage of those moments. It is not always flashy football, but it can be enough to win.
a lost football game—
regret for wasting
the afternoon
#2: Throwing the Football
In my earlier years of watching college football, I thought that deep throws leading to easy touchdowns were some of the coolest things to see. Many teams win games by relying heavily on the passing game. The strategy seems to reduce the chances of players being injured in collisions on the field. However, throwing the ball most of the time can make it easier for opponents to defend. There is also the possibility of interceptions, which can be disheartening. Meanwhile, in the Midwest, where I have lived for nearly four decades, power football seems quite popular. Although it may not look as entertaining as finesse football, it seems more in tune with the rugged agricultural lifestyle of the region’s residents.
empty nester’s Saturday
our team’s punishing attacks
brighten my day
#3: Not Just Your Day
On September 26, 2026, the Oklahoma Sooners lost an away game to the Georgia Bulldogs, 41–23. Oklahoma began the season ranked No. 10 in the AP preseason Top 25. After losing to Michigan on the road and then barely beating New Mexico at home, it dropped out of the Top 25. Today, Oklahoma suffered another disappointing defeat, this time to an SEC opponent.
OU’s starting quarterback, John Mateer, was a three-star recruit out of high school, but he eventually became the face of the program. During the game, he lost the football while attempting a pass; the ball simply slipped out of his hand. Later, he lost the football again while being chased by opposing players. Even star players make mistakes, but things happen. It was a bad day for him.
starting quarterback—
hero last week
villain this week
#4: The Beauty of Fake Punting
When a football team has used three downs without gaining ten yards, it usually punts the football so that the ball can be placed as far away from its goal line as possible. Occasionally, however, the punter pretends to punt but instead throws the ball or runs with it to make the first down. It is a gamble that may or may not succeed, so it should be used carefully.
A well-known fake punt happened in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and TCU. The game was tied 10–10. When Boise State faced fourth-and-9 at its own 33, punter Kyle Brotzman threw a 29-yard pass to Kyle Efaw, keeping the drive alive. Boise State eventually scored the go-ahead touchdown and won 17–10.
the punter throws—
the eyes of the crowd
widening
#5: Punting Gone Awry
A botched punt is painful for the fans of the team that makes the mistake, but it can also be amusing to spectators who have no allegiance to either team on the field. A prime example happened in the 2015 game between Michigan and Michigan State. With 10 seconds left and Michigan leading 23–21, punter Blake O’Neill mishandled a low snap. Instead of falling on the ball, he tried to kick it, but Michigan State’s Jalen Watts-Jackson recovered it and returned it 38 yards for a game-winning touchdown. Michigan State won 27–23. One thing I like about college football is watching unexpected blunders that are rare in NFL games.
a botched punt—
from the stands
gasps and laughs
About the Author
Professor of English and Creative Writing and Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Theology, Missouri Baptist University
John J. Han, PhD, is the author, editor, co-editor, or translator of 38 books. His forthcoming book, Echoes from the Hills: Critical Essays on Ozarks Literature (co-edited with C. Clark Triplett), will be published by the University of Arkansas Press. He has also published more than 3,000 poems, primarily haiku, in a wide range of journals and anthologies. In addition to his long tenure at Missouri Baptist University, he has taught at Kansas State University, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and Washington University in St. Louis. He has also served as a visiting scholar at Georgia College & State University and the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.
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