Football Karma and Tacopunts: Oregon State

4th and 7, Oregon State Ball with ~3:05 remaing:

    Oregon State long-snapper snaps high, Nick Porebski is able to bring it in, gets the punt off and is clobbered.  Incorrect roughing the kicker is called, giving Oregon State a first down and prompting Jim Harbaugh to call a timeout.  2:57 remaining.

1st and 10, Oregon State Ball

   Incomplete pass to Jordan Villamin

2nd and 10, Oregon State Ball

   Seth Collins 8 yard run to Michigan 38

3rd and 2, Oregon State Ball

   Seth Collins -1 yard run to Michigan 39

Now, this is was some bad coaching by Oregon State.  They have two options:
  1) Go for the first down
  2) Punt

There are no other possibilities here.  At the very least, you want to see your team line up for the punt (or even better, like you are attempting to score), try to draw the defense offsides and take the delay of game if not.  If you are going to punt anyway, the difference between punting from the 39 and punting from the 44 is going to be marginal (both have a 95% chance of being a touchback*).  But we see Oregon State take the delay of game without attempting to draw Michigan offsides.  Michigan then calls a timeout (I don't understand why, the clock should have been stopped here with the delay of game).

Oregon State then lines up for the punt, punts it, and gets an Illegal formation call.  Another five yards.

We all know what happened next.

Anyway, I guess I don't have a major point to make here, it is just interesting to list a couple of things that could have drastically changed the end of the first half:

1) No roughing the punter call.  Michigan ball, chance to score with about 3 minutes remaining, but they have to go 70 yards.

2) Oregon State attempts to convert the 4th and 3 (the obvious choice if you are playing to win, especially on the road) and fails.  Michigan Ball, 60 yards to score and roughly 1:30 remaining.

3) Oregon State picks up the first down, is able to kick a field goal to end the half.  Teams tied 10-10 at half.

4) No illegal formation on the 1st (2nd?) punt attempt.  Michigan ball, I believe this one went out at the 2 or 3 yard line, not much chance of scoring, with only 90 seconds and at least one rushing play just to escape the goal line 

*--totally made this statistic up.

EDIT:  Adding a major point to squash the haters:
    My major point is, if your drive could be extended by a roughing the kicker call that shouldn't have been a roughing the kicker call, you should decline the penalty and avoid football Karma