DALLAS - Walt Anderson, Big 12 Conference coordinator of officials, made a very informative 45-minute presentation to begin day two of Big 12 Football Media Days at the Omni Dallas Hotel in downtown Dallas this morning.

 

According to Anderson, the two most significant rule changes adopted this year involve an alteration that allows the replay official to stop the game to review a potential targeting hit. The second is the adoption of a Low Block Rule that creates a low block zone that prohibits a low block to a stationary defender inside the tackle box.

 

“It’s a big blocking scheme change that the coaches will have to deal with,” Anderson noted.

 

As for targeting change, Anderson emphasized this will add another dimension to the process that is already taking place on the field.

 

“Everybody needs to understand that this doesn’t mean we’re stopping every big hit in a football game just in case it might be targeting,” he explained. “It’s got to be one that stands out pretty immediately to everybody that is targeting.”

 

Anderson used as an example West Virginia safety Karl Joseph’s hit along the sideline in a game played last year at Oklahoma how the new rule will be adopted. Joseph was not called for a targeting penalty on the play, but Anderson indicated the hit WAS targeting, and this year the replay official will have the leeway to stop play and review the hit.

 

Overall, Anderson said of the 151,365 plays run in college football last year, targeting was only called 161 times, and of those 161, 44 calls were reversed, meaning just 117 targeting penalties were enforced last season.

 

In the Big 12, targeting was called only eight times and four of those were reversed. Anderson indicated one of the four shouldn’t have been reversed, meaning five targeting calls should have been made last season.

 

“The first thing I would like to say relative to targeting is that the coaches have bought into the Targeting Rule,” Anderson said. “They understand not only the importance (of the rule) but the emphasis that will be placed on it. We have worked with them with coming up with (tackling) techniques. We have four high-risk indicators, four low-risk indicators that we share with them in terms of helping to teach their players safe techniques.”

 

Anderson emphasized that the “far majority of plays are legal hits” and the emphasis on player safety in college football is going to continue.

 

In addition to reviewing rule changes, Anderson provided the media with a fascinating look at the replay review process, using a nine-minute sequence from last year’s West Virginia-TCU game in Fort Worth, Texas, to demonstrate all that goes into stopping action and reviewing a play.

 

Anderson describes the replay process as “organized chaos” involving a replay official in constant contact with the referee on the field, the officials’ observer, a technician responsible for marking each play to instantly call up any plays in question and then a communicator who is talking to the producer in the television truck.

 

These four people are in constant communication to observe, log and analyze each play during the game.

 

“The environment up there is very stressful,” Anderson pointed out. “It’s simply because of the pace of the game and the numerous decisions that have to end up being made by multiple people up there in the booth.

 

“I hope you have an appreciation for is the absolute necessity just like out on the football field with the team that everybody does their job and they do it precisely and that they don’t get sidetracked into trying to pay attention to somebody else’s job,” Anderson explained.

 

Meanwhile, Anderson touched on some other rule items pertaining to college football this season:

 

* A rule regulating the use of technology and computers and tablets by coaches located in the press box has been tabled until the 2017 season. “The reason for that was the conferences asked for the delay to really give them time to come up with a protocol and policies and standards that would be a lot easier for them to implement rather than just coming out and turning things from a technology standpoint loose this year,” said Anderson.

 

* The “Mike Gundy Rule” regarding the scrimmage kick Oklahoma State successfully utilized last year (legally) that has since been changed. The rule was altered to include the following language in bold face type: “A scrimmage kick formation is a formation with no player in position to receive a hand-to-hand snap from between the snapper’s legs, and with either at least one player 10 or more yards behind the neutral zone; or a potential holder and potential kicker seven or more yards behind the neutral zone in position for a place kick.” For either to qualify as a scrimmage kick formation, it must be obvious that a kick will be attempted.”

 

* A sliding ball carrier who has given himself up and is sliding feet first does not have to get all the way to the ground to be considered down. “Once he begins his slide to give himself up, and he is sliding feet first, the ball becomes dead at that point and by rule he becomes a defenseless player,” said Anderson.

 

Finally, Anderson noted that the Big 12 continued to lead college football last year with an average of 182 plays per game, or nine more per game than the Pac-12 which averaged a 189 plays per game, including a season-high 245 plays run in last year’s TCU-Texas Tech.

 

“As you can see, there’s a lot of activity going on out there,” Anderson concluded.