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Whatever amount of time you're leaving or not leaving for scUM is putting the cart before the horse in that situation if you're the App. State coach. If his team misses the kick, it doesn't matter how much time is left on the clock. The coach's first responsibility was to put his team in the best position to make a go-ahead FG, and by his assessment the path he chose was the best for his team. Given the virtual anonymity of his team before that game, him and his staff are probably the only people who have seen that team enough to be qualified to make that assessment. I think people are making the mistake of thinking that the strategy that we'd want and expect Ohio State to use in that situation would have been a good fit for App. State. I don't think that's necessarily the case.
As for the idea of moving the ball to the center to give the kicker a better angle - that's the conventional wisdom, but it does not necessarily hold for all kickers. My best friend was a right-footed placekicker, and he always told me that kicks from the left hash were his preferred angle - even over one that was "centered", and that kicks from the right hash were most difficult for him since he felt like he was kicking across his body. Not saying that either one is true for everybody, but it's possible that App. State was already lined up in the best spot for their kicker on 1st down.
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