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Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
Rule must still pass Oversight Panel in April
Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
NCAA recommends altering kickoff rule to include fair catch, touchback inside 25
Players who fair catch a kickoff inside their 25-yard line would be awarded a touchback, according to a new NCAA college football rules recommendation.
The NCAA Football Rules Committee on Friday proposed the change, with the idea to "address player safety on the kickoff and to address tactics that attempt to pin the receiving team close to its goal line." All other kickoff rules -- including kicking off from the 35-yard line and starting at the 25 after a touchback -- would remain the same.
"The committee discussed the kickoff play at great length and we will continue to work to find ways to improve the play," said Larry Fedora, chair of the committee and head coach at North Carolina. "We believe making one change will allow us to study the effect of this change in terms of player safety."
The change is still the proposal stage, and must pass through the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which meets April 13.
Other rules changes:
* Blocking rules will be altered to disallow offensive blocks below the waist more than five yards down the field. Other than those involving interior lineman, all blocks below the waist must be from the front.
* Play clock will be set at 40 seconds following a touchdown, prior to an extra-point kick or two-point conversion attempt. The play clock will be set at 40 seconds following a kickoff.
* A 10-second run-off will be added when instant replay overturns the ruling on the field inside of one minute in either half, in cases when the correct ruling would not have stopped the game clock.
* Personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct fouls by the defense on successful field goal attempts can now be enforced on the kickoff.
* Leaping rules on field goals and extra points have been altered to mirror those on punts. It is illegal to leap over the frame of the body of an opponent.
Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
NCAA recommends altering kickoff rule to include fair catch, touchback inside 25
Players who fair catch a kickoff inside their 25-yard line would be awarded a touchback, according to a new NCAA college football rules recommendation.
The NCAA Football Rules Committee on Friday proposed the change, with the idea to "address player safety on the kickoff and to address tactics that attempt to pin the receiving team close to its goal line." All other kickoff rules -- including kicking off from the 35-yard line and starting at the 25 after a touchback -- would remain the same.
"The committee discussed the kickoff play at great length and we will continue to work to find ways to improve the play," said Larry Fedora, chair of the committee and head coach at North Carolina. "We believe making one change will allow us to study the effect of this change in terms of player safety."
The change is still the proposal stage, and must pass through the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which meets April 13.
Other rules changes:
* Blocking rules will be altered to disallow offensive blocks below the waist more than five yards down the field. Other than those involving interior lineman, all blocks below the waist must be from the front.
* Play clock will be set at 40 seconds following a touchdown, prior to an extra-point kick or two-point conversion attempt. The play clock will be set at 40 seconds following a kickoff.
* A 10-second run-off will be added when instant replay overturns the ruling on the field inside of one minute in either half, in cases when the correct ruling would not have stopped the game clock.
* Personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct fouls by the defense on successful field goal attempts can now be enforced on the kickoff.
* Leaping rules on field goals and extra points have been altered to mirror those on punts. It is illegal to leap over the frame of the body of an opponent.
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