COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Oregon’s decision to intentionally put 12 defenders on the field and take a penalty late in its game against Ohio State has caused the NCAA to change the rulebook.
With 10 seconds left Saturday, the Ducks led by 1 and the Buckeyes had the ball near field goal range. Oregon coach Dan Lanning purposely sent a 12th defender onto the field before Ohio State snapped the ball on a third-and-25 play. After quarterback Will Howard threw an incomplete pass, the Ducks were called for the penalty, leaving six seconds on the clock.
That play has led the NCAA to change the rule. Now, if a defense is called for 12 players on the field with under two minutes in either half, the opposing team can reset the clock back to the time of the snap rather than the time on the clock after the completed play.
The decision from Lanning, which he said was practiced by his team, created discussion across the college football community. The four-second loss on the clock gave the Buckeyes less time to get into field goal range for a chance at a winning kick.
With six seconds left, Howard scrambled up the middle and could not get a timeout called before the clock hit zero. With the new rule in place, Ohio State would have had 10 seconds left.
The game marked Ohio State’s first loss of the season and caused it to drop from second to fourth in the Associated Press rankings. Oregon moved up from No. 3 to take the Buckeyes spot.
Ohio State is off this week before playing Nebraska on Oct. 26 at Ohio Stadium. That game will kick off at noon.
