East Carolina kicker Owen Daffer misses extra point, potential game-winning field goal late vs NC State
East Carolina football believed it had tied its season-opening game against NC State on a Rahjai Harris 3-yard touchdown run, with the extra point pending.
And it was missed.
Pirates kicker Owen Daffer missed the extra point wide left, which kept NC State's lead at 21-20 with 2:58 left at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday.
Then, Daffer missed a 41-yard field goal wide right with five seconds left as the Wolfpack escaped Greenville with a Week 1 victory.
COLLEGE KICKERS!!!
ECU misses the XP to tie the game up
pic.twitter.com/gHIawe5KFp— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) September 3, 2022
EAST CAROLINA MISSES THE FIELD GOAL. NC STATE SURVIVES. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/JhwyVeDjAH
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) September 3, 2022
I would be horrified too watching East Carolina miss their field goal in the 4th quarter pic.twitter.com/9QmwoCSzkf
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) September 3, 2022
Daffer doesn't get full blame on the extra point; the ball had the laces pointed toward him, a no-no for kickers no matter the distance. Still, Daffer is charged with the miss.
GAME RECAP: NC State survives last-second field goal attempt against ECU
CHAOTIC 4TH QUARTER: See NC State football fail twice near goal line in fourth-quarter chaos vs. East Carolina
ESPN sideline reporter Lauren Sisler reported at the start of ECU's next drive that Daffer was ready for a possible game winner.
The Pirates drove from their own 26 to the NC State 23 before Daffer's field goal attempt. NC State called timeout with nine seconds left as the Pirates rushed their field goal team onto the field as the clock rolled.
The kick fluttered to the right, and NC State celebrated.
Daffer was one of the AAC's best kickers last season, making 19-of-23 field goal attempts as a freshman. The Wilmington native was also 39-of-41 in extra points.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: ECU football kicker misses PAT, game winning field goal vs NC State