 The NCAA Football Rules Committee met this past week and formulated several proposed rules changes that the Committee hopes will enhance player safety and improve the pace of play.
The proposed changes have been forwarded for consideration for approval by the NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel which will meet next month. None of the proposed changes can go into effect without this additional level of approval.
One of the primary areas that the Rules Committee addressed was in the area of head-down and helmet-to-helmet contact. To further player safety, the Committee has proposed adjusted wording in these areas, designed to give game officials better guidance in assessing penalties for what it considers dangerous contact.
"The committee is giving our game officials more tools to penalize potentially dangerous contact," said Rogers Redding, coordinator of officials for the Southeastern Conference. "The committee is addressing players that use the crown of their helmet and players that target defenseless opponents when making contact above the shoulders," he added.
The Committee has also proposed a new rule making horse-collar tackles illegal. The NFL recently made such tackles illegal but no such prohibition on horse-collar tackles exists currently in the collegiate game. The new rule would prohibit a player from grabbing the inside back collar of the shoulder pads or jersey, or the inside collar of the side of the shoulder pads or jersey and immediately pulling the runner down.
Additional rule changes designed to increase the pace of play have also been proposed. Last season the average length of a collegiate football game was 3 hours and 22 minutes, compared to 3 hours and 7 minutes in 2006.
In an effort to speed up play, the Rules Committee has proposed a 40/25-second play clock. Essentially what this would mean is that the offensive team would have 40 seconds to snap the ball after it is declared dead. The only exception would be after a change of possession or the clock is stopped due to injury. In those instances, the offensive team would have 25 seconds to snap the ball after the official signals the end of the timeout.
Additionally, the Committee has proposed a rule change designed to speed up the pace of play concerning when the clock is restarted after a player goes out of bounds. The new rule would dictate that the game clock would re-start on the referee's whistle as opposed to the snap of the ball on the next play, except in the last two minutes of each half.
Michael Clark, chairman of the NCAA Rules Committee and head coach at Division III Bridgewater (Virginia) College, indicated that "This is part of the continuing efforts to maintain a reasonable length of games and create a consistent pace of play at all levels," in discussing the new timing changes.
Additional rule changes recommended by the committee:
**In the rules relating to instant replay, plays where a fumble leads to an immediate recovery may be reviewed.
**Also regarding replay, a coach that challenges a play and is successful will retain the right to challenge one more time for a maximum of two challenges per half.
**When a kickoff goes out of bounds, the receiving team may accept the ball at the 40-yard line instead of the 35-yard line.
**The incidental five-yard face make penalty has been removed. All face mask fouls (defined as pulling, twisting, or turning of the face mask) will result in a 15-yard penalty.
**A 5-yard penalty will be assessed for sideline crowding. The warning has been eliminated.
|
