At Yale, there were so many factors working against the coaching decision it’s impossible to even fathom what he might have been thinking. To name just a few:
1. Yale needed 22 yards. So even if the fake worked in fooling the other team (which it did to a certain extent), it was still extremely unlikely they’d pick up 22+ yards for the 1st down.
2. It was a 10-7 game at the time of the fake punt. The Yale defense had given up only one score the entire game. And they weren’t exactly facing Peyton Manning or Tom Brady in the Harvard offense.
3. The coach was not under any ‘clock’ duress. He was able to take the time to consider the circumstances and then he inexplicably made the decision for a fake punt.

For those who missed it, Miles let about 25 seconds run off the clock because he “assumed” the refs had heard him call timeout, when they didn’t. Then he had his QB spike the ball when the clock restarted with :01 left (instead of take a shot in the end zone from about the 10), so the spike ends the game.

Harbaugh: Dumb
Yale coach: Dumber
Miles: Dumbest x 10.

A lot is put on coaches, particularly in college: Recruit, manage practice, strategize, and call the game. Many are good at one or two of those things, but few are good at them all.