Big Ten Banter: No, NCAA, Don't Change Your Rule Because of Dan Lanning's Cleverness
Dan Lanning's cleverness and creativity might result in an NCAA rule change. The Oregon coach took advantage of a loophole in college football's rulebook, helping the Ducks secure a 32-31 win over Ohio State. Now, the organization wants to tie up some of the loose ends in the sport.
Saturday night's game in Eugene was an instant classic. But the play that resurfaced more than any other from that showdown was Lanning's decision to deliberately take an illegal substitution penalty with the time dwindling down in the fourth quarter.
With 10 seconds remaining in the game and Ohio State situated at the Oregon 43-yard line, Lanning called a timeout to discuss defensive strategy. He then sent 12 players onto the field — an illegal substitution penalty — which prevented the Buckeyes from making a big play to get into field goal range.
A pass from Ohio State's Will Howard to Jeremiah Smith fell incomplete and four seconds ticked from the clock. Yes, the Buckeyes accepted the 5-yard penalty after the play, but they still weren't in position to attempt a field goal. On the next play, Howard scrambled, slid at the 38-yard line as time expired and Oregon secured one of the biggest wins in program history.
When asked about the situation during his weekly press conference, Lanning didn't confirm that he took the penalty deliberately, but he came pretty darn close.
“We spend an inordinate amount of time on situations,” Lanning said. “There are some situations that don’t show up very often in college football, but this is one that obviously was something we had worked on. So, you can see the result.”
you NEED to watch how genius this is 👀
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 13, 2024
:10 left, Oregon calls a timeout
they intentionally add a 12th man late to ensure no big gain occurs
ball is snapped, no big gain
obviously it’s a penalty BUT
1) :04 ticks off clock
2) no big gain
:06 left
only time for 1 play
WIN pic.twitter.com/2MouQanBK8
Now, a few days after Lanning received praise for taking advantage of the circumstances, The Athletic is reporting that the NCAA could close that loophole that helped Oregon defeat Ohio State.
A proposed change — according to the report — would be to enact an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in similar situation. It would result in a 15-yard penalty and additional time getting put back on the clock to deter coaches from exploiting the rule.
Pardon my French, but what a load of hogwash.
Ambiguity can be found in just about every written rule in every sport. Loopholes are always going to present themselves. To this point, it's usually not a big deal.
Defensive backs deliberately commit pass interference occasionally to prevent large pass plays from happening. In basketball, a team with a three-point lead late in games will often foul an opponent rather than playing defense, forcing them to shoot two free throws vs. attempting a game-tying three-pointer. On the baseball diamond, a pitcher will intentionally walk an opponent's best hitter.
See the slippery slope here? Maybe this is just my opinion, but Lanning's use of the illegal substitution rule is no different than the examples listed above. If you make an alteration to the illegal substitution rule, should the NCAA look at some of the others that were mentioned?
Plus, the NCAA has a much greater problem on its hands right now, with some teams regularly faking injuries to slow down game speed. No, there's currently no rule against it, but it might be the most unethical "strategy" in any collegiate sport.
Maybe they should address that one first.
Yes, Oregon benefited from a unique strategy in a unique situation. To me, Lanning deserves credit for outsmarting both Ohio State and the NCAA on Saturday night. We don't need a committee to rewrite the rulebook because of his wit.
Related Big Ten stories
BIG TEN-SEC SCHEDULING MODEL: A report indicates that the Big Ten and SEC are moving closer to a scheduling model in which the two leagues could play each other 12 or more times. CLICK HERE
BIG TEN KICKOFF TIMES FOR WEEK 9: Kickoff times and television information has been released for Week 9 games in the Big Ten. CLICK HERE
BIG TEN WEEK 8 POWER RANKINGS: Oregon defeated Ohio State in one of the biggest games of the 2024 college football season. That puts the Ducks in the driver's seat in the Big Ten. CLICK HERE
BIG TEN WEEK 7 OVERREACTIONS: A feud between Bret Bielema and Ryan Walters, James Franklin ruins Penn State's fun, an Iowa fan takes a football to the face and more in the overreactions. CLICK HERE
