Syracuse arrived at Acrisure Stadium trying to snap an 11-game losing streak against Pittsburgh. Instead, they spent much of the opening quarter digging themselves into another hole, going down 0-7. In the second quarter, there was one particularly ugly moment when kicker Tripp Woody stepped onto the field for what was supposed to be an easy chance to get the Orange on the board.

Syracuse was trailing 0-14 when its offense finally put together something resembling a promising drive. Steve Angeli hit two passes, including a 34-yard completion to Umari Hatcher, before the possession fizzled near the Pitt 10-yard line. That brought the kicker onto the field for a 29-yard field-goal attempt.

Tripp Woody’s kick veered so left that the ESPN camera had to swing across the screen to keep the ball in the center of the frame. The miss immediately became fodder for college football fans, with CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli capturing the mood on X.

“Not to be hyperbolic, but this might’ve been the worst FG attempt in the history of this planet,” he captioned the clip.

The 29-yard field goal miss left the crowd going wild in disbelief. That was enough for Syracuse head coach Fran Brown to make a change. Tripp Woody was pulled from kicking duties, and freshman Shay Barker handled the next extra point before later drilling a 42-yarder as the first half expired.

The switch mattered because Tripp Woody had now missed three kicks so far this season. Meanwhile, Syracuse was making life harder for itself in other ways, too. The Orange committed eight penalties for 82 yards in the first half, with defensive flags helping Pitts extend drives. Still, the miss was the moment that stuck. And because college football fans never waste an opportunity to drag even a remotely related program into the joke, Ohio State soon entered the conversation.

The Buckeyes have spent plenty of time trying to solve their own special-teams headaches. Jayden Fielding missed a 27-yard attempt against Indiana last season. This season, new kicker Connor Hawkins missed a much bigger one against Texas last week. The former Baylor kicker had made kicks from 26, 30 and 48 yards against the Longhorns before sending a 45-yard attempt wide left with Ohio State leading 23-17.

So when Tripp Woody’s kick went viral, the Ohio State jokes resurfaced. One fan saw the portal connection coming immediately, writing, “Ohio state just found their guy in the portal.”

The joke landed because Ohio State’s kicking problems are fresh enough that any spectacularly bad or good kicking performance now gets dragged into the Buckeyes’ orbit.

Another fan seconded the sentiment, posting, “I already know Ohio State gonna go after him in the portal.”

Then came the mock recruiting pitch. “I’ve seen enough, Ohio State needs to sign him immediately,” one user commented. 

And of course, the actual miss was difficult to defend. One viewer summed up the clip bluntly, saying, “Dude that s— wasn’t even CLOSE.”

And another punchline tied everything back to Ryan Day and Ohio State. “Ryan Day 2027 portal target,” another added. 

Syracuse still had a football game to play, and its comeback effort mattered more than one miss. But in the internet version of college football, 29 yards can apparently become an endless punchline. Tripp Woody’s Thursday night kick is something he’ll want to forget. And for Ohio State fans, somehow, it became their problem too.