College football teams will have to adjust to a series of new rules designed to speed up the game, most notably the change to a 40-second play clock with no stoppage between plays. OSU coaches and players said the Cowboys’ no-huddle offense should help the team deal with the new rule.
No college football season would be complete without the addition of several preseason rule changes to shake things up a bit.
This season, the NCAA is venturing into risky business once again as it enforces new clock rules designed to limit overall game times.
In the past, teams had 25 seconds after the referees spotted the ball at the line of scrimmage to snap the ball. Now, a 40-second play clock will begin the moment the previous play is whistled dead, rather than stopping the clock for the refs to advance the ball.
The rule is designed to speed up the game and keep it within a desired three-hour time frame, but it will also force both the offense and defense to play at a much quicker pace.
Co-offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer said the Cowboys, who run a fast-paced, no-huddle offense, will benefit from the rule because of their already-fast game tempo.
“I don’t think we’re ever fast enough,” Brewer said. “If we can get 120 plays, I’m all for it. I like the clock rule and I think [coach Mike Gundy] and everybody agrees on offense it lends itself to our tempos that we like to do.”
In previous years, the NCAA has attempted to speed up games by starting the play clock immediately after kickoff returns and other changes of possession. After an outcry from coaches, players and fans, the rules were returned to their original form.
While this year’s rules aim to shorten the game without giving either team an advantage, tight end Brandon Pettigrew said that OSU can only benefit from them.
“We’re already used to it, so we’ve kind of got a little bit of an edge,” Pettigrew said.
He also said the pace of practice has not changed much because OSU has run a no-huddle offense for the past three years.
“[The coaches] have adjusted the tempo, but of course we are fast-paced anyway, so we’re just gonna do what we do,” Pettigrew said.
The quicker play clock will likely cause more teams to go to the no-huddle offense in the future. While that might sound like bad news for an OSU defense that ranked 101st in total defense in 2007, Gundy said it might help OSU on both sides of the ball.
“[The defense] has to play against us every day in practice so it’s good for [them],” Gundy said. “It forces them to line up fast.”
Several other rule changes will take place prior to the start of the 2008 season:
— When a player runs out of bounds, the game clock will re-start after the official sets the ball in play. The old rules stopped the game clock until the ball was snapped. This rule will not apply in the final two minutes of each half.
— If a kickoff goes out of bounds, the receiving team will be allowed to accept the ball at their own 40-yard line, rather than the previous 35-yard line spot.
— There will be no more sideline warnings for players and coaches getting too close to the field. A minimum five-yard penalty may be assessed without warning.
— If a coach challenges a reviewable play and is successful, he will receive another challenge to use during the remainder of the game. If the challenge is unsuccessful, he will not receive another challenge.
— The “horse collar” tackle, in which a player grabs inside the collar of an offensive player’s shoulder pads to bring him down, will now be a personal foul assessable by a 15-yard penalty.
— The five-yard incidental face mask rule will be eliminated, and 15-yard personal foul penalties will be assessed to any twisting, turning or pulling of the face mask.
Loading ...
All Articles