The Pigskin
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2013 Week 12 Clips
TECHNICAL NOTE: For those not aware, when viewing these videos in the You Tube window, you can adjust the resolution for a sharper view. Notice in the lower right hand corner of the video player window a setting icon that looks like a gear. Click on that and you can adjust the setting up to 360p, 480p or even 720p in some cases. This will give you a sharper image.
The video page will continue bringing you clips each week which are good teaching material as we all work together to understand and enforce the sometimes complicated NCAA football rules. The videos are not meant to demean or belittle any official. They are used so that ALL officials can learn from the situations and issues other officials encounter in their games. No official has ever completed a career error-free. But by sharing our errors with others we help them avoid the same pitfalls. NCAA football officials at all levels exhibit incredible rule knowledge week in and week out. We can always get better and this page hopes to serve in that effort.
Last week's play once again demonstrated the inconsistency we still have among officials with regards to Unsportsmanlike Conduct. The play featured a ball carrier who dived for no apparent reason as he neared the goal line and completed the dive with a somersault in the end zone. 57% of the crew ruled this as a live ball unsportsmanlike conduct (same as ruled on the field). 19% said flag as a dead ball unsportsmanlike conduct, while another 19% said no flag, just talk to the player. While the comments were varied, the most consistent comment was that the defender's were close enough to the ball carrier to justify the dive/somersault.
Forward Progress or Play On Tough play here. Was the runner's forward progress stopped? Or should play continue? (And if you are a flank official, do you come in once you rule ball is dead or do you come in before you make that ruling?) Please view this play video and take the poll. (Please remember to scroll down and click on the DONE button after making your choice.)
Dead Ball Foul - Unsportsmanlike Conduct ? It appears we still have a segment of the NCAA officiating community which needs to be introduced to this site. Last week (and previously) we have covered the rule change this year that calls for charging certain dead ball extracurricular activity as unsportsmanlike conduct, not as personal fouls for unnecessary roughness as had been done for years. The change at 9-2-1-a-1-j: "Dead ball contact fouls such as pushing, shoving, striking, etc that occur clearly after the ball is dead and that are not part of the game action" are to be called unsportsmanlike conduct. Perhaps this crew had a chance to discuss the play in depth at halftime or maybe they even pulled out that small blue-covered spiral bound book that they have tucked deep inside the equipment bag. For whatever reason, when a similar situation happened in the 2d half, they nailed it: 2d Play UPON FURTHER REVIEW: The "Clipper" has received intelligence from NSA that verifies the crew did indeed change the 1st call to Unsportsmanlike Conduct while the TV folks were making money so the viewing audience was not aware of the changed call.
Hit on a "Defenseless Player" The definition of a defenseless player was altered this year to include QB's after a change of possession and kickers in the act if kicking or just after kicking a ball or during the kick or the return that follows. This was done to give them more protection as there had been examples of players "hunting" for these fellows and looking to lay a big block on one of them during the down. When the change was announced, the rules editor made it clear this new definition did not outlaw LEGAL blocks on the QB's and kickers. It just added them to the group of players protected from being hit in the head or neck area (targeting). At clinic after clinic, this change was discussed and it was clear many officials incorrectly thought these new "defenseless players" could not be hit at all. That is simply not true. In this play, it appears the officials were confused about the rule or the Referee mis-announced the foul. The kicker was #46 and holder was #45. Both immediately moved to make a play and the kicker actually ended up making the tackle. Even if the player who was blocked WAS the kicker (he was not, he was actually the holder), does this hit qualify as a foul? The hit started in bounds, did not involve targeting, and happened to end out of bounds. Perhaps an official would judge there was an additional shove once out of bounds which would qualify as a dead ball foul but from this seat high in the sky, we don't see it.
"3 Second Rule" as Substitution Rule This play sequence will foster discussion about two different concepts. The first is the "3 Second Rule" that came in this year. The announcers are badly mistaken about the rule and their explanation that the half should have been over is incorrect. 3-2-5 (Minimum Time For a Play after Spiking the Ball) only applies when the game clock is stopped and will start on the Referee's signal. When the clock is running as it was in this play, the crew on the field must determine if there is time remaining after the spike, regardless of how much time was on the clock when the ball was snapped. The second concept is the substitution rule which requires Team B not have 12 or more players on the field if the snap is imminent. In the video, Team B was flagged for having 12 players on the field. However, the referee ruled that since there had not yet been a ready-for-play whistle, the flag was premature so no foul. That seems to be a common sense approach although the rule is not clear. It is clear that by definition, there can be no "huddle" until there has been a RFP (2-14) . But the rules direct that officials prevent the snap if it is imminent and they know team B has more than 11 in their formation. The question is ...when does the "formation" start? Does the ball have to have been made RFP? There are AR's which suggest this is a foul only after the RFP (3-5-3-II & V). Furthermore, there are sections throughout the rulebook that imply there is no formation until the ball has been made ready for play. Perhaps we will get some more definitive guidance from the rules editor in bulletins or videos yet to be published this season.
Forward Progress of an Airborne Receiver This play is a great example of 5-1-3-a (Exception). When an airborne receiver completes a catch inbounds after an opponent has driven him backward and the ball is declared dead at the spot of the catch, the forward progress is where the player received the ball. Had this receiver not been contacted by an opponent and simply came to ground behind the line to gain before being tackled at that spot, the forward progress would be where he was tackled and not where he possessed the ball while airborne.
Sometimes All You can Do is Scratch Your Head Fortunately this call had no bearing on the play or game result. These are the best ones to learn from because they are not painful nor is there any pressure to argue it was a correct call because of the outcome. 7-3-4 says that an eligible receiver who goes out of bounds during a down loses his eligibility to be the first to touch a legal forward pass. But the rule has an exception....if the receiver attempts to return inbounds immediately after going out of bounds due to contact by an opponent, he remains eligible. Granted it took this receiver some time to get back inbounds, but he had been driven to the ground 4 yards out of bounds!
Punt to the Goal Line and Back Judge Mechanics A play that can challenge the deep officials, especially when they are not in proper position, is the punt that threatens the goal line, untouched by Team B beyond the neutral zone. Rule one way and Team B gets a touchback. Rule another and they have the ball very near their own goal line. In this play, the officials were correctly positioned and made the call. The back judge is commended for his attempt to show off a new mechanic which will ensure he gets an even better view of the player's feet and their proximity to the goal line. Of course, in this situation we do not care where the feet are but perhaps he can try this mechanic for plays at the end line when a pass receiver may be in bounds or out of bounds. The back judge is also commended for keeping the presence of mind to correctly deploy his bean bag.