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NCAA reportedly planning to close 12-man penalty loophole used by Oregon vs. Ohio State
Published:
The NCAA is planning to close an officiating loophole that Oregon exploited in the final seconds of its win over Ohio State on Saturday.
With 10 seconds remaining in the game on Saturday, Oregon was penalized for having 12 men on the field on defense. After a Kyle McCord pass fell incomplete on the play, Oregon was assessed a 5-yard penalty. However, 4 seconds came off the clock on the play — ultimately benefitting Oregon.
According to a report from On3’s Pete Nakos, the NCAA Football Playing Rules Committee is planning to immediately close this loophole. Per the report, officials would be instructed to wind the game clock back to its original time. Per Nakos, citing a source, the committee hopes to have the change completed “this week.”
This potential action comes just 1 day after Oregon coach Dan Lanning indicated to reporters that the 12-man penalty was done intentionally.
“There was a timeout just before that (play). We spend an inordinate amount of time on situations. There are some situations that don’t show up very often in college football, but this one obviously was something we had worked on,” Lanning said. “You could see the result.”
Per On3’s report, a formal change of the rule can not be made until the offseason.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.