LOL at Malzahn opposing the change. CFB refs are so lazy now that they won't call OL downfield unless we give the refs on the LOS some kind of head up display goggles with a 3 yard yellow line superimposed at that 3 yard mark. Maybe a 1 yard rule change would simplify it for them. Asking the officials to ""look for it" is like pizzing in the wind imo. Perhaps a change to a 1 yard rule would get them to call it if the OL get 3 yards down the field.
It would be interesting to get LR's thoughts on the possible rule change, and how such a rule change would/might limit his/offense, but with the Stoops Bros captaining his ship, I don't think he would comment.
Malzahn opposes lineman downfield rule, says it stifles 'creativity'
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...rts-creativity
The NCAA Football Rules Committee has proposed reducing the number of yards offensive linemen can move downfield from three yards to one, a shift that national officiating coordinator Rogers Redding said would help simplify the call for officials. But the change might also severely limit the effectiveness of the "pop pass," a play-action play used by many spread teams -- like Malzahn's -- to simulate a run before throwing downfield.
The NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel will make a decision on the proposed rule Thursday. Malzahn hopes that rather than changing the rule, the NCAA can first consider asking officials to simply enforce the current three-yard limit.
Current offenses are frequently given too much leeway to send their linemen downfield and have been given that leeway for years; see this 2014 Kansas State pop pass touchdown vs. Oklahoma (and the linemen six yards downfield) for one example that -- rightly -- incensed Sooners' defensive coordinator Mike Stoops.
Yes, some change is necessary. But does that mean it's time to go all-in with a rewrite of the rulebook? What would it cost to spend one season asking officials to "look for it," in Stoops' words, and then determine if the rules require shifting from three yards to one? If a guard or center slips two or three yards downfield during a prolonged quarterback scramble -- as they tend to do -- is that really worth penalizing?