NCAA gets rid of advantage Oregon exploited

As the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes were looking to get into field goal range for a potential game winning field goal Saturday night, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning exploited a loophole in the rulebook that gave Oregon an advantage in the game's waning seconds.

With ten seconds left in a 32-31 game, Lanning sent 12 players out on the field, knowing that whatever happened on the next play Oregon would be penalized five yards if accepted by Ohio State. With the Buckeyes out of field goal range on the Oregon 43-yard line, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw incomplete and due to the penalty they moved up five yards, but the four seconds that came off the clock were not added back.

Howard ran the ball into field goal range on the ensuing play but ran out of time and Oregon won 32-31. The NCAA, however, has gotten rid of the loophole Oregon used to take time off the clock.

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The thought process for Lanning was simple. He could put an extra player on the field as sort of a security blanket, making it harder for Ohio State to get a big play. If they gain more than five yards, Ohio State declines the penalty, and if they don't they move up five yards, still not in field goal range. No matter what happened, putting an extra player on the field would not have hurt Oregon.

Now, the NCAA has changed the rule. If the defense commits an illegal substitution penalty under two minutes in either half, the offense will have the choice of adding the time back. If, however, the 12th defender is attempting to exit the field when the ball is snapped the time will not be added back.

This way, the defense can't gain an advantage from committing a penalty on purpose.

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