Officials may tweak targeting penalty review

Replay officials likely will have greater power to intervene and protect college football players next season.

The NCAA Rules Committee approved an initiative that would give replay officials the authority to stop a game and assess a targeting penalty if one was not detected on the field.

The targeting penalty was adopted in 2013 as a way to reduce helmet-tohelmet hits and potential head and neck injuries. The penalty for targeting is 15 yards, plus ejection of the player who committed the foul.

While officials say the rule has changed player behavior, its application has drawn plenty of criticism from fans, players and coaches.

There were 158 targeting penalties called in all FBS games last season. Forty-three were overturned by replay review and 115 were upheld.

All targeting fouls are reviewed, but replay officials have been limited to reviewing only if there was forcible contact to the head and neck area and if the hit was made with the crown of the helmet.

Rogers Redding, the national college football coordinator of officials, said the new rule would allow replay officials more opportunities to look at whether the defender launched himself, whether the player who was struck was defenseless and whether the tackle was with the crown of the helmet.

“It allows the replay officials to look at all aspects of the targeting play,” he said.

Redding also indicated that he doesn’t believe the additional replay power will delay the game for fans, players and coaches.

“You won’t see any increase in the time of the replay,” Redding said, adding that replay officials are already required by rule to stop the game to look at targeting fouls.

This season will also feature an experimental addendum to the replay rule, which would allow a collaboration between the replay official at the stadium and officials from a league’s command center. It’s a concept similar to the one used by the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, with the league offices reviewing select plays throughout games.

The SEC proposed the idea, but it could be used by any conference willing to implement it.

According to NCAA officials, the replay official would have the final say on any issues, but that decision would come with collaboration from league officials.

“It doesn’t change who makes the decision, it just changes the capability for further consultation ,” Redding said.

The committee also proposed several adjustments to other rules:

1. The rules dealing with low blocks were adjusted to prohibit a player who leaves the tackle box from blocking below the waist toward the initial position of the ball.

2. The rules pertaining to a defenseless player will include a ballcarrier who has clearly given himself up by sliding feet first.

3. The deliberate tripping of the ballcarrier was approved as a foul.

Officials will also be instructed this season to stringently enforce the 3-yard limit when it comes to the ineligible receivers downfield ruling.

Redding said midway through last season, the conference coordinators of officials decided to change how the in eligiblereceiver rule was officiated.

“We jointly made a decision … to continue to have the umpire be primarily responsible for the ineligible receiver down field, but then give secondary responsibilities to the head linesman and the line judge,” Redding said.

“Those are the officials on the sideline who are right on the line of scrimmage.

“The coordinators are telling the officials, ‘This is going to be a hard and fast three-yard rule.’ We’re not going to allow some slop.”

The group also cleared the way for possible addition of approved electronic devices to be used for coaching purposes in the locker room and press box during the game.

Those devices, however, would not be permitted on the field.

The NFL, for instance, allows league-approved tablets on the sidelines.

The proposals the committee approved will be forwarded to the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which will review them on March 8. If approved, the changes would be implemented in the 2016 season.