NCAA fails to agree on rule to stop faking injuries
Theatrics will slow UT’S quick-paced offense
Faking injuries, presumably, will remain in college football in the 2022 season, which is a frustrating outcome for Tennessee.
The NCAA football rules committee could not agree on proposed rule changes to stop the tactic. Instead, it will try to strengthen the reporting and investigative process by putting the responsibility of enforcement on schools and conferences.
Game film of alleged faked injuries can be submitted to NCAA national coordinator of officials Steve Shaw, who will review and provide feedback to the conferences for further action.
Any penalties levied will be up to the conference office or school involved.
But that approach will only occur after games as a hopeful deterrent. There will be no in-game penalty or rule to stop it.
"The goal here is not to have reviews, but to really stop the practice," Shaw said. "We feel like this will be a step forward."
It's an unfortunate development for Tennessee. The Vols tout the nation's fastest operating offense, which suffered stalled possessions last season because opponents appeared to feign injuries.
"We are intent on driving it out of our game, but there's not a perfect solution right now," Shaw said.
Several proposals were discussed by the committee. The most popular involved not allowing an injured player to re-enter the game for the remainder of the possession.
But Shaw said some coaches pushed back, saying it could encourage players with minor injuries or cramps to play through pain rather than leave the game for a possession.
"There aren't perfect in-game solutions, but we're nearing the final straw," said Stanford coach David Shaw, the chair of the rules committee and an outspoken critic of faking injuries.
"We're going to lean on conferences as far as their ethical standards are concerned in order to raise this to a higher level."
What Lane Kiffin said about faking injuries
For several years, there has been no direct deterrent to faking injuries. Fans and media have complained. Some teams have been shamed. And a few coaches have called it unethical. But it hasn't fixed the problem.
Last season, the rules committee introduced an appeals process, where a warning was sent to the athletics directors if video showed their football team had faked injuries.
It still didn't stop. And the new approach appears to be a small extension of that process.
Curiously, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin — whose team was thought to be a major perpetrator of faking injuries — suggested last season that more stringent measures would work.
“I don't think you're really going to stop (faking injuries) until the guy has to stay out for so many plays,” Kiffin said on Oct. 20. “Like anything, there's got to be a penalty to it. If you really want to change it, let the conference review it, look at the film and when they deem it to be an obvious faking of an injury, then there's a penalty (like) a fine.
"And I promise (faking injuries) would never happen anywhere.”
How faking injuries impacts Tennessee
Faking injuries has been a widely used tactic for years.
It halts the game and slows the pace of up-tempo offenses. And UT touted the fastest offense in college football last season, averaging 2.99 plays per minute.
It appeared opponents frequently feigned injuries against the Vols, although it's difficult to distinguish between real and fake injuries. But after UT quickly reeled off several plays in succession, a defensive player would drop to the ground. The stoppage helped the defense gather itself, catch its collective breath and reset strategy.
Some suspicious instances came during UT'S 31-26 loss to Ole Miss on Oct. 16. There were 18 injury stoppages, including 11 in the fourth quarter. And perceived fake injuries were among the frustrating factors that led UT fans to toss trash on the field and stop the game.
On Jan. 31, the NCAA football rules committee announced that faking injuries would be a top priority for potential rule changes.
A week later, UT coach Josh Heupel said faking injuries “certainly has an impact on the game and how we play and what we do, (but) we can only control what we can control.”
The Vols appeared guilty of faking injuries a few times last season, as well. UT offensive linemen dropped to the ground with apparent cramps or injuries several times during PAT kicks, perhaps to give its defense a few extra minutes to rest.
But a rule change undoubtedly would've helped UT more than it would've hurt. Last season, the Vols ranked ninth in total offense and last in time of possession among 130 FBS teams, therefore doing more in less time than any other team.
Their 2.99 offensive plays per minute not only led FBS but also marked the most in program history. Heupel wants to be even faster in his second season, and limiting the use of fake injuries would rid the game of a major roadblock.