NCAA Rule Changes for 2015: Targeting Rule, Defensive Substitutions

[YTBulldogs]

February 12, 2014
Football Rules Committee Slightly Adjusts Targeting Rule, Defensive Substitutions
By Greg Johnson
NCAA.org

The NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed an alteration involving the instant-replay review on targeting fouls during its Feb. 11-12 meeting in Indianapolis, which includes the ejection of the player committing the foul along with a 15-yard penalty.

Last season, the targeting rule was implemented and any player committing the penalty would be ejected and his team assessed a 15-yard penalty.

The committee recommended that if the instant replay official rules that a disqualification should not have occurred, and if the targeting foul is not accompanied by another personal foul, the 15-yard penalty for targeting should not be enforced.

However, if the targeting foul is committed in conjunction with another personal foul, the 15-yard penalty for that personal foul remains. For example, if a player is called for roughing the passer and targeting the head and neck area, but the instant replay official rules that targeting did not occur, the player flagged would remain in the game, but the roughing the passer penalty would still be enforced.

All rules proposals must be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which will discuss the football rules changes March 6. The proposed changes are being circulated for membership comment.

“Overall, the targeting rule was successful and has had the intended impact of making play safer,” said Troy Calhoun, head coach at the Air Force Academy and chair of the committee, which met Monday through Thursday in Indianapolis. “This alteration keeps the intent of the rule, but allows replay to correct all of the consequences from a rare missed call.”

In games where instant replay is not in use, the committee recommended an option to permit on-field officials to review targeting calls during halftime that were made during the first half. This is a permissive rule by conference policy or mutual consent of the teams and is the responsibility of the home team to provide the parameters for the use of video. The review must be conducted by the referee in the officials’ locker room.

Officials could then reverse the targeting call and allow the player to compete in the second half. The committee noted that many Football Championship Subdivision, Division II and Division III games are not played using instant replay so this modification gives those teams greater flexibility to review targeting fouls during a game.

Defensive Substitutions

The committee also recommended a rules change that will allow defensive units to substitute within the first 10 seconds of the 40-second play clock, with the exception of the final two minutes of each half, starting with the 2014 season.

“This rules change is being made to enhance student-athlete safety by guaranteeing a small window for both teams to substitute,” said Calhoun. “As the average number of plays per game has increased, this issue has been discussed with greater frequency by the committee in recent years and we felt like it was time to act in the interests of protecting our student-athletes.”

Under this rule proposal, the offense will not be allowed to snap the ball until the play clock reaches 29 seconds or less. If the offense snaps the ball before the play clock reaches 29 seconds, a 5-yard, delay-of-game penalty will be assessed. Under current rules, defensive players are not guaranteed an opportunity to substitute unless the offense substitutes first. This part of the rule will remain in place in scenarios where the play clock starts at 25 seconds.

The committee discussed the issue thoroughly before coming to the conclusion that defensive teams should be allowed some period of time to substitute. The committee believes that 10 seconds provides sufficient time for defensive player substitutions without inhibiting the ability of an offense to play at a fast pace. Research indicated that teams with fast-paced, no-huddle offenses rarely snap the ball with 30 seconds or more on the play clock. This rules proposal also aligns with a request from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports that sport rules committees review substitution rules in regards to player safety.

In the NCAA’s non-rules change years, proposals can only be made for student-athlete safety reasons or modifications that enhance the intent of a previous rules change.

[Rabid Cougar]

Doesn't help us on Friday night.

[YTBulldogs]

Doesn't help us on Friday night.

Why I posted this in the college section RC. But, high schools will most likely be going to the 40 sec clock soon, the def sub part will likely be carried over to by the UIL, to our high schools.

[Rabid Cougar]

Why I posted this in the college section RC. But, high schools will most likely be going to the 40 sec clock soon, the def sub part will likely be carried over to by the UIL, to our high schools.

I call on Fridays too. Where my comment came from.

[YTBulldogs]

Side note: Sure will do away with those hurry up offensives that had those "D's" tongues hanging out.

[coach]

that new delay of game rule is crap

[YTBulldogs]

that new delay of game rule is crap

ya'll write the rules coach.

[Old Tiger]

All because Bilema and Saban complained during the off-season/season.



Stewart Mandel ‏@slmandel 3h

Can confirm Nick Saban & Bret Bielema were in the room (but not voters) for the rules committee discussion that produced 10-second proposal.

Stewart Mandel ‏@slmandel 3h

Bielema is a non-voting member of the rules committee. Saban was an attendee for the 90-minute "rules discussion" portion of the meeting.



They can't adapt and want the rules changed to favor their philosophy


http://collegefootball.ap.org/articl...hurry-offenses


http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports...ootball-to-be/

Saw a stat on twitter that 6 players Oklahoma ran against Alabama in the BCS bowl would have been penalties under this new rule.

[Roughneck93]

Hahaha....

Mike Gundy @CoachGundy
The 10-second rule is like asking basketball to take away the shot clock - Boring!. It’s like asking a blitzing linebacker to raise his hand
4:59 PM - 13 Feb 2014

[Old Tiger]

[Roughneck93]

Lol....

[1st and goal]

This new defensive sub rule is bull squat.

Back to old school football with about half the plays. ho hum. snorefest.

[1st and goal]

The good news is that these are just proposals. A bunch of coaches are upset at the defensive 10 second rule proposal.

[coach]

Yea, but ya'll enforce them

[Rabid Cougar]

in 2012 Houston ran the most plays at 3.12 per minute of possession Alabama was last at 2.02. U of H averaged a play every 18 seconds. 40 Sec clock starts when the previosu play is blown dead. It going to stop the 1 and 10 and run up the LOS and snap the ball catching the Defense changing their D-line.( they generally rotate by possessions.) but over all a team has to be clicking off plays a lot faster than UH did. I don't think it will impact the hurry up teams all that much.