NCAA looking into changing loophole exploited by Oregon

Oct 8, 2022; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon committed what appeared to be a brilliant intentional penalty at the end of their game against Ohio State on Saturday, and it does not sound like the NCAA was happy about it.

Ohio State had the ball at the Oregon 43-yard line with 10 seconds remaining in the Ducks’ 32-31 win over the Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. Just before the ball was snapped on 3rd-and-25, Oregon called a timeout.

On the next play, Oregon lined up in a regular defensive formation before sending a 12th player onto the field. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw an incomplete pass, but a flag was thrown. The Ducks were penalized five yards for an illegal substitution and having 12 men on the field. NBC announcers Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge attributed the penalty to “confusion” for Oregon’s defense.

As it turns out, Oregon was not confused at all. Head coach Dan Lanning intentionally sent the 12th player onto the field to both prevent Ohio State from converting a big play while also running time off the clock. There were just 6 seconds remaining after the play, which left Ohio State out of field-goal range with time for only one final play. You can see the full sequence:

On Tuesday, NCAA secretary rules editor Steve Shaw told Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports that the NCAA Football Playing Rules Committee is discussing a way to address the loophole that was exploited by Oregon. Mid-season rule changes are uncommon, but they are not out of the question in situations where it is determined that a penalty benefits the team that is penalized.

While it may have to wait until the offseason, the obvious change would be to reset the clock to where it was before a 12-men penalty is committed. That is the way the situation is handled at the NFL level.

Lanning was asked about the play after Oregon’s big win. While he stopped just short of admitting that Oregon committed the penalty on purpose, he spoke about the importance of preparing for unique situations. Lanning said that particular situation is something the Ducks worked on and “you can see the result.”

Of course, Oregon also got some help when Howard committed a brutal mistake on the final play .

Lanning’s strategy, which was perfectly within the rules, paid off. Great coaches are always familiar with the rule book and how to best exploit it. The only question now is whether the NCAA will immediately stop teams from using a similar strategy or wait until the offseason to implement a change.

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