JLEW1818
7/30/2009, 03:19 PM
New rules and points of emphasis for upcoming season
July 30, 2009
NORMAN, Okla. - Each year the NCAA tweaks its football rules. In this article, SoonerSports.com shares the definition that has been added for the 2009 season, courtesy of Walt Anderson, the Big 12 Conference's Director of Football Officials.
Rule 1-4-3-a, Jersey Colors -- Creates a process to allow the visiting team to wear colored (non-white) jerseys when the home team also wears colored jerseys. The Big 12 Conference already has a policy in place to allow the home team to wear white jerseys if approved in advance before the season by both schools. The new rule allows that one jersey does not have to be white, but must be of a contrasting color and approved in advance by the conference office in terms of enough contrast.
Rule 1-4-3-d, Glove Colors -- This rule confirms that the portion of the glove visible against the opponent's jersey must be gray but the palms of gloves can be gray or black.
Rule 2-34, Definition of Tackle Box -- Defines the area used for limitations on the rules for intentional grounding and roughing the kicker. Because of changes in distances between offensive linemen, the new rule established the tackle box as five yards from the snapper on either side, extending back behind the quarterback to the end line of the field. The box disintegrates once the quarterback leaves the tackle box, but the five yards on each side remains the same regardless of how many or wide the splits of the offensive linemen.
Rule 3-2-3, Extension of Periods -- Prevents the offense from gaining the unfair advantage of an additional play if it completes an illegal forward pass for a touchdown as time in a half expires. If the quarterback is beyond the line of scrimmage and throws a pass on the last play of a period, since the penalty involves loss of down, the period will now be over.
Rules 3-2-4-c, 3-35-f, Play Clock Set to 40 seconds or a Team B Injury -- This codifies a change made via interpretation during the 2008 season. Team B could potentially "game" the clock rules if the play clock is set to 25 seconds for an injury to a Team B player, with fewer than 40 seconds left in a half. When an injury occurs, the play clock will always be set to 40 when a Team B player is injured or to 25 seconds when a Team A player is injured. The referee will still have discretion to adjust the play or game clock if he deems a team using any clock rule in an unfair manner.
Rule 7-1-3-b-1, Offensive Team Formation -- This rule eliminates penalizing Team A for only 10 players: six on the line and four in the backfield. The rule now requires there be no more than four players in the backfield, and a team must still have five players numbered 50-79 on the line of scrimmage.
7-3-10, Ineligible Receiver Downfield -- This rule simplifies the current three-yard expansion of the neutral zone and is consistent with the national philosophy of how it is officiated. Offensive linemen are not considered downfield unless they are more than three yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
Rule 9-1-4-a-5, Roughing the Kicker -- This rule change addresses the issue of the rugby-style kicker who runs several steps before kicking the ball. Under this change, he would not receive roughing-the-kicker protection if he is outside the tackle box when he kicks, so defenders are free to pursue and contact him like any runner. When it is obvious he has kicked the ball and is not pursuing the play, he still cannot be fouled unnecessarily like the current rule on hitting any player obviously out of the play.
Rule 9-6, Flagrant Personal Fouls -- The rule on targeting defenseless players above the shoulders has not changed, but emphasis has been added by the Rules Committee that allows conference to impose further penalties should a foul not be called on any action deemed in video review by the conference official to be illegal. The conference can impose further action including suspending a player for subsequent games or periods if any action deemed to be flagrant was either not penalized by officials with an ejection on the field or actions by a player warrant further action from the conference office. In addition, officials have been instructed to scrutinize this area much more closely. When in question they will throw a flag for action they deem is targeting defenseless opponents above the shoulders. Officials are encouraged to eject players they deem to have committed this act in an intentional or flagrant manner. The Big 12 will again produce a training tape to illustrate examples of legal and illegal hits, but players are being warned that this area is a growing concern by the Rules Committee and officials. Conference offices are being asked to tighten up on enforcement.
Rule 9-6, Instant Replay -- There are two additional types of plays that are now reviewable ... 1. If the official rules that a passer makes a forward pass when it fact the play is a fumble, replay can make correction provided the recovery by the defense is immediate and there is clear and visible evidence of who recovers the ball. 2. If officials rule a pass is forward and incomplete when, in fact, it is a backward pass, replay can make correction provided the recovery by the defense is immediate and there is clear and visible evidence of who recovers the ball.
http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/073009aaa.html
July 30, 2009
NORMAN, Okla. - Each year the NCAA tweaks its football rules. In this article, SoonerSports.com shares the definition that has been added for the 2009 season, courtesy of Walt Anderson, the Big 12 Conference's Director of Football Officials.
Rule 1-4-3-a, Jersey Colors -- Creates a process to allow the visiting team to wear colored (non-white) jerseys when the home team also wears colored jerseys. The Big 12 Conference already has a policy in place to allow the home team to wear white jerseys if approved in advance before the season by both schools. The new rule allows that one jersey does not have to be white, but must be of a contrasting color and approved in advance by the conference office in terms of enough contrast.
Rule 1-4-3-d, Glove Colors -- This rule confirms that the portion of the glove visible against the opponent's jersey must be gray but the palms of gloves can be gray or black.
Rule 2-34, Definition of Tackle Box -- Defines the area used for limitations on the rules for intentional grounding and roughing the kicker. Because of changes in distances between offensive linemen, the new rule established the tackle box as five yards from the snapper on either side, extending back behind the quarterback to the end line of the field. The box disintegrates once the quarterback leaves the tackle box, but the five yards on each side remains the same regardless of how many or wide the splits of the offensive linemen.
Rule 3-2-3, Extension of Periods -- Prevents the offense from gaining the unfair advantage of an additional play if it completes an illegal forward pass for a touchdown as time in a half expires. If the quarterback is beyond the line of scrimmage and throws a pass on the last play of a period, since the penalty involves loss of down, the period will now be over.
Rules 3-2-4-c, 3-35-f, Play Clock Set to 40 seconds or a Team B Injury -- This codifies a change made via interpretation during the 2008 season. Team B could potentially "game" the clock rules if the play clock is set to 25 seconds for an injury to a Team B player, with fewer than 40 seconds left in a half. When an injury occurs, the play clock will always be set to 40 when a Team B player is injured or to 25 seconds when a Team A player is injured. The referee will still have discretion to adjust the play or game clock if he deems a team using any clock rule in an unfair manner.
Rule 7-1-3-b-1, Offensive Team Formation -- This rule eliminates penalizing Team A for only 10 players: six on the line and four in the backfield. The rule now requires there be no more than four players in the backfield, and a team must still have five players numbered 50-79 on the line of scrimmage.
7-3-10, Ineligible Receiver Downfield -- This rule simplifies the current three-yard expansion of the neutral zone and is consistent with the national philosophy of how it is officiated. Offensive linemen are not considered downfield unless they are more than three yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
Rule 9-1-4-a-5, Roughing the Kicker -- This rule change addresses the issue of the rugby-style kicker who runs several steps before kicking the ball. Under this change, he would not receive roughing-the-kicker protection if he is outside the tackle box when he kicks, so defenders are free to pursue and contact him like any runner. When it is obvious he has kicked the ball and is not pursuing the play, he still cannot be fouled unnecessarily like the current rule on hitting any player obviously out of the play.
Rule 9-6, Flagrant Personal Fouls -- The rule on targeting defenseless players above the shoulders has not changed, but emphasis has been added by the Rules Committee that allows conference to impose further penalties should a foul not be called on any action deemed in video review by the conference official to be illegal. The conference can impose further action including suspending a player for subsequent games or periods if any action deemed to be flagrant was either not penalized by officials with an ejection on the field or actions by a player warrant further action from the conference office. In addition, officials have been instructed to scrutinize this area much more closely. When in question they will throw a flag for action they deem is targeting defenseless opponents above the shoulders. Officials are encouraged to eject players they deem to have committed this act in an intentional or flagrant manner. The Big 12 will again produce a training tape to illustrate examples of legal and illegal hits, but players are being warned that this area is a growing concern by the Rules Committee and officials. Conference offices are being asked to tighten up on enforcement.
Rule 9-6, Instant Replay -- There are two additional types of plays that are now reviewable ... 1. If the official rules that a passer makes a forward pass when it fact the play is a fumble, replay can make correction provided the recovery by the defense is immediate and there is clear and visible evidence of who recovers the ball. 2. If officials rule a pass is forward and incomplete when, in fact, it is a backward pass, replay can make correction provided the recovery by the defense is immediate and there is clear and visible evidence of who recovers the ball.
http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/073009aaa.html