TASO State Meeting Report
2013 NCAA Rules Changes
Special Guest Speaker
Debbie Weir, CEO of MADD
• Officials’ primary role in view of parents is “protecting our
boys out there.”
• MADD’s mission includes preventing underage drinking
and addressing the culture that excuses it as inevitable.
• Mission moment with Chilli Vasquez illustrates what’s at
stake.
What’s at Stake
• CFO is the only authoritative site.
• With legal issues over, we must do our job so that the
legislature doesn’t have an excuse to intervene.
• Football is facing a “1905 Moment,” needing to
demonstrate confidence in player safety is justified.
Targeting
• The targeting rule has not changed; the penalty for it has
changed.
• The severe penalty means we must exercise careful
judgment about whether fouls involve targeting.
• Key elements are targeting and contacting together, with
considerations of head/neck contact and defenseless players.
Targeting & Contact:
Crown of Helmet
• Initiating contact with crown is not, alone, targeting. The
rule prohibits targeting and then initiating contact.
• The targeting is what is proscribed.
• Is a player making a football play or simply delivering
punishment? Officials do not have to look for targeting; it
will present itself.
Targeting & Contact:
Head or Neck of Defenseless Player
• Initiating contact with head or neck is not, alone, targeting.
The rule prohibits targeting a defenseless player.
• FR-88 includes “indicators” of targeting (Note 1) and of
defenseless player (Note 2).
• Incidental, tangential contact with head or neck may be
possible.
Targeting Notes
• The targeting rule emphasizes that two elements must be
present: contact must be initiated and it must be targeted
contact.
• High hits are not necessarily targeting, and targeting can
occur with or without a defenseless player involved.
• A high hit could be a personal foul (as in 9-1-2-a) without
being a targeting foul.
• As with pass interference’s defined foul types, officials
should cultivate the habit of reporting what elements of
targeting were present if they call such a foul.
Blocking below the Waist
• Simplified rule—prohibition now based more on the nature
of the block than on where the blocker came from.
• Two zones of interest:
• the tackle box, centered on snapper, 5 yards wide each
way, from neutral zone to A’s end line
• the low-blocking zone, centered on snapper, 7 yards
wide each way, from 5 yards beyond neutral zone to A’s
end line
Blocking below the Waist
• Rule’s intent is limit blocks to those defender can
reasonable expect to anticipate because they’re from the front
(therefore, 10-2 o’clock guideline and crack back
prohibition).
• Rule’s intent is to limit “crack backs” that occur just after
the snap (therefore the amended provision concerning
blocking back to original position of ball).
• Rule prohibits peel back blocks, consistent with
philosophy of protecting players from unexpected contact.
Blocking below the Waist Notes
• The direction of the block matters in two cases: peel back
block (not toward own end line) and crack back (not toward
initial position of the ball).
• Backs must meet two criteria to be unrestricted: position
with respect to tackle box and with respect to second lineman
from the snapper. Because the BJ’s pre-snap key may be
receiver 2 (inside receiver), BJs may have a role in
determining a back’s status.
• BBW rules are all about giving B a reasonable opportunity
to see a block coming, so a “delayed” or “downfield” crack
back may not be ruled a foul if it’s otherwise legal.
Helmet Off Accommodation
• Teams can spend a precious timeout to keep a key player in
the game in a key moment.
• A timeout is the only way to keep a player in the game.
There is no option, for example, to take a delay of game
penalty if a team’s out of timeouts.
Spike Plays to Stop the Clock
• Extensive review of game tapes suggests that 3 seconds is
a reasonable expectation for the time it takes for a spike play.
• If the clock shows 3 seconds or more, Team A has the
potential—but not guaranteed—opportunity to snap, spike,
and get another play. If A doesn’t execute cleanly, the clock
may run out.
• If the clock shows less than 3 seconds, there is no
opportunity for another play. The clock operator should be
sure to let the clock run out.
Uniforms
• If a player enters the game after changing his number, he
must report to the R, who should announce the change.
Failing to report is an unsportsmanlike foul.
• Players at the same position may not have the same
number.
• Numbers must clearly contrast with the jersey.
• Towels must be between 4x12 and 6x12, which means
streamers are illegal uniform attachments.
Post Scrimmage Kick Enforcement
• PSK applies without regard to the location of B’s foul—the
provision for at least 3 yards beyond the neutral zone has
been deleted.
• PSK applies to B fouls during a scrimmage kick, not during
a scrimmage kick play.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct Contact Fouls
• There now exists a type of personal foul that can be
regarded as an unsportsmanlike conduct foul, which means
there could be implications for disqualification exposure for
subsequent fouls.
• Instead of being meaningless double dead ball fouls when
there is chicken fighting and other dead ball behavior, such
fouls can now be regarded as UC for each player.