NCAA Football Rules Committee Wants Targeting Ejections

College football is one step closer to approving an automatic ejection for the targeting of a defenseless player above the shoulders. The NCAA Rules Committee this week unanimously passed a proposal to increase targeting to 15-yard unnecessary roughness & auto-disqualification status. The Playing Rules Oversight Panel has final say and will meet on March 6 to vote on proposals such as that of targeting.

Rules chair and Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun explained that as student-athlete safety remains a primary concern, "taking measures to remove targeting, or above the shoulder hits on defenseless players, will improve our great sport."

Similar to the present penalty for fighting, a player charged with targeting a defenseless player (either offensive or defensive) in the first half of a game will be ejected for the remainder of the contest. A player charged with targeting during the second half, including overtime, will be ejected and suspended for the first half of the next game. Defenseless players are those in a defenseless posture, such as (but not limited to) those receivers attempting to catch a pass, airborne kick/punt returners, kickers or punters during a return who are not involved in a play and players on the ground at the end of a play.

The committee agreed to make the ejection reviewable via video instant replay, which would allow a replay official to rescind an ejection just as replay may currently be used to overturn a number of on-field rulings (e.g., catch vs. fumble, etc.). Accordingly, the standard of indisputable video evidence shall be required in order to reverse the ruling on the field (Rule 12-1-2).

The committee additionally recommended:

» Blocks below the waist, initiated from the front, are legal. Those initiated from the side/back are illegal.
» 10-sec runoff with less than 1:00 in half during any injury, absent valid reason to stop clock (e.g., a TD).
» Make 3-sec mandatory as minimum time on game clock in order to spike ball to stop clock.
» Authorize and require players who change numbers during game to inform referee who shall announce it.
» Limit duplicate numbers used by same team to players who play different, not same, positions.
» Require teams to have jersey or pants contrast in color to playing field (e.g., Boise's blue field).
» Allow officiating crews to use electronic communication devices (follows SEC experiment).
» Allow Big-12 to hire an eighth official who will position in the backfield opposite R (like the NFL's U).
» Allow instant replay to adjust the clock at the end of every quarter in addition to the end of each half.

News: Rules committee recommends ejection for targeting defenseless players (NCAA.com)