For landing on the crappy field, it all comes down to making an accurate touchdown. You can save yourself, if not the aircraft, by landing on a football field - as long as you land on the beginning of it. Land on the far end and hit the brick wall that (let's suppose) is there and things don't look so good. The trouble is that accurate touchdowns are pretty hard to get right and as far as I can see most people don't. I'm always a bit horrified by the number of people who touch down half way down our 2400' runway at Palo Alto. I really do TRY to get it on the numbers myself but I for sure don't always get within a football field of them - and that's an airport I know well, complete with windsock and known altitude.
When I did the 180 power off landing in my CPL I did actually get it on the numbers (phew), provoking a comment from the examiner that "you'd be amazed how many people get this badly wrong". And that's CPL candidates.
I'm extremely grateful for the huge salt marshes off both ends of my home airport!