NCAA Reportedly Investigating College Football Loophole Used by Oregon Against Ohio State

The NCAA is investigating a coaching decision that "exploited a loophole in the rulebook" in the Oregon Ducks' 32-31 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, according to a report from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning confirmed using a 12-men penalty on purpose while Ohio State attempted to get into field goal position on the game's final drive. With 10 seconds remaining, the Ducks called a timeout and sent 12 defenders onto the field for the next play.

With an extra defensive back on the field, Ohio State's pass fell incomplete and the Buckeyes were left with six seconds remaining, as NCAA rules do not call for a reset of the clock despite the penalty.

“We spend an inordinate amount of time on situations, and there are some situations that don't show up very often in college football,” Lanning said after the game. "But this is one that obviously we have worked on. So you can see the result.”

According to Dellenger, Oregon's use of the rule has ignited a response by the NCAA, which intends to make sure the loophole is not used in the defense's favor moving forward.

“Oregon coaches exploited a loophole in the rulebook and it could result in in-season action from the NCAA,” Dellenger wrote. “… Steve Shaw, the NCAA secretary rules editor, told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday that the NCAA Football Playing Rules Committee is actively ‘engaged’ in examining the play for possible action. The Big Ten officiating crew handled the play appropriately, Shaw said, but the rules committee is discussing a way to address the play.”

The NCAA's investigation could result in interpretation bulletins released during a season, according to the report. This would provide directives for officials in games in the future. Dellenger believes the likely response is return the game clock to the original time before the penalty: "To discourage the action in the Oregon-Ohio State game, any interpretation would likely direct officials to return the game clock to its original time."

In what was first viewed as a sharp-whitted tactic by Lanning and his staff, using a 12 men penalty to chew time off the clock will be seemingly short lived in college football given the NCAA's interest.

Related: David Pollack Unloads on Ohio State QB Will Howard After Mistake in Oregon Loss