NCAA Investigating Rule Loophole Used by Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Oregon Ducks appeared to intentionally commit an illegal substitution penalty late in the win over the Ohio State Buckeyes. With the NCAA investigating the play, will there be any in-season action from the NCAA Football Playing Rules Committee?

Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning watches during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks' late-game "trickeration" against the Ohio State Buckeyes is now being looked at by the NCAA.

According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the NCAA Football Playing Rules Committee is "engaged" in investigating the seemingly intentional 12-men penalty committed by the Oregon defense late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 32-31 win over Ohio State. The flag helped moved the ball up five yards for Ohio State's offense but also drained the clock down from 10 seconds to six seconds.

Those precisous few seconds ultimatey made the difference, as the Buckeyes were unable to get into comfortable field goal range with enough time left. The game ended when Ohio State quarterback Will Howard inexplicably rushed up the middle for a 12-yard gain to the 26-yard line, burning the final six seconds off the clock. The Buckeyes still had a timeout in their pocket but were unable to use it as a result.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James celebrate a touchdown by Gabriel as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks host the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the decision to intentionally commit a penalty is well within the current rules, Steve Shaw, the NCAA secretary rules editor, told Dellenger that discussions have begun on how to address it. According to Shaw, per Dellenger, the Big Ten officiating crew handled the situation correctly by having the time drain off the clock.

“We’ve had good dialogue on this play,” Shaw told Dellenger. “We’ve recognized the way it played out.”

When speaking to the media on Monday, Oregon coach Dan Lanning appeared to admit that the situation was one the team prepared for, and it worked out in their favor.

“(Jabbar Muhammad) wasn’t one on one, we actually had a safety on top. So, it’s called “dog” - when you play. But he wasn’t in an extremely tight coverage, but he was in “dog” coverage where he had a safety on top of him and there was a timeout before that. We spent an enormous amount of time on situations. There’s some situations that don’t show up very often in college football but this is one that, obviously, was something we had worked on. You can see the result,” Lanning said.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning celebrates amid a crowd of fans on the field as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks knock off the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 32-31 Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks only committed three penalties for 25 yards, but their final flag likely made a difference in winning or losing one of the biggest games in program history.

Now up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 Poll, Oregon will look to keep things rolling when it hits the road to face the 1-5 Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday in West Lafayette, IN. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT and the game will be broadcast on FOX.

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