The Oregon Ducks' lead in breaking the rule book expired as coach Dan Lanning exploited a loophole regarding 12 on-field penalties to defeat Ohio State.
NCAA Secretary Rules Editor Steve Shaw announced in a statement If a defense puts too many players on the field during the final two minutes of either half, there will be an amendment to the rulebook that would “take away all of the defender's advantage.”
If 12 players are actively participating in the play, as was the case with the Ducks on Saturday, the offense would have the option to take a penalty and reset the clock to where it was when the ball was snapped.
Even when a player is running away from the field, it is “free play” for the offense and the clock is not reset to the time of the snap.
“Soccer is a very dynamic game,” Shaw said. “In some cases, there are certain situations where committing a penalty gives a team an advantage. A fundamental principle of the NCAA Football Rules Committee is that teams should not receive any advantage when committing a penalty. That’s it.”
With Oregon State winning 32-31 in an epic Big Ten showdown Saturday, Ohio State was attempting a late field goal with 10 seconds left when Ducks cornerback Donte Manning hit Oregon's He ran onto the field as the 12th defender on 3-25 plays. 43 yard line.
Quarterback Will Howard threw an incomplete pass while facing an extra defender with four seconds remaining, but Ohio State advanced five yards due to a penalty.
This trade-off was a good one for Oregon State, as Ohio State lost valuable time staying in field goal range and the Buckeyes had to risk missing out on the next play. It made sense.
Due to the rule change, this would be a dead-ball foul, and Ohio State would have 10 seconds of free time even if it advanced 5 yards.
During a scramble, Howard slid a second late, missing the Buckeyes' game-winning field goal attempt, and the game ended on the next play.
grinning Lanning told reporters. The post-game penalty was not a coincidence, the Ducks took advantage of a loophole and applied it on purpose, which ended up being the difference in the game.
“We spend a tremendous amount of time on situations, and some situations don't happen very often in college football, but this is obviously something we've been working on,” Lanning said. “You can see the results.”
With this win, Oregon State moves up to No. 2 in the rankings, while Ohio State currently sits at No. 4.
