It’s a scenario that begs the question: What
could’ve been? In the final game of the regular season
between UCLA and USC, controversy erupted after the Bruins stripped
Trojan tailback Reggie Bush of the ball, forcing a fumble.
UCLA’s Spencer Havner scooped up the ball with nothing but
an open field in front of him. Instead of a 17-17 score before the
half, the play was blown dead. It was ruled that Bush’s
forward progress had stopped, nullifying the fumble. The Trojans
went on to convert a field goal and held on for the win.
“There were a couple of really questionable calls,”
said UCLA defensive coordinator Larry Kerr after the game.
“In fact, they’re not questionable ““ outright bad
calls. That takes a bunch of points off the board for them and puts
some points on for us.”
To combat questionable calls, starting this season, following
the success of the Big Ten conference, the Pac-10 will be one of
the nine conferences that will implement instant replay. The change
is meant to reduce the number of controversial calls made during a
game.
Though the play in the USC-UCLA game would not have been
reviewable anyway because the play was blown dead, officials now
have the mind-set to let plays pan out. And if a questionable play
were to arise, it could be reviewed by the replay committee.
“The Big Ten’s success last year and the feedback
received from coaches in the league were very big factors,”
said Ty Halpin, NCAA associate director for playing rules
administration. “In general, I think seeing a system work and
work well put the other conferences and the rules committee more at
ease.”
The instant replay legislation states that “the play
(under review) must have direct competitive impact on the game to
warrant game stoppage for review. Instant replay officials will be
instructed to err on the side of caution when competition will be
directly affected. There is no limit to the amount of plays that
can be reviewed.”
While the NCAA’s adoption of instant replay is similar to
the NFL’s, there remain some distinct differences between the
collegiate level and the professional ranks.
Like the NFL, the NCAA states that a play that is overturned
must show indisputable evidence. However, several coaches including
UCLA’s Karl Dorrell and Arizona State’s Dirk Koetter
have concerns about the inability of coaches to make a
challenge.
“Coach Dorrell’s concerns are certainly valid, but
again, the feedback from the Big Ten coaches was big here,”
Halpin said.
Coaches’ challenges were available if any conference
wanted to use them, but only the Mountain West Conference elected
to give coaches the power to challenge the ruling on the field.
Game review officials will be selected from a pool of former
on-field officials, in hopes of removing potential bias.
Instant replay can be used in determining whether a player is in
or out of bounds, breaks the plane of the goal line, pass
completions or interceptions. Instant replay does not include
judgment calls, such as holding, offsides, pass interference and
personal fouls.
There is one ruling in the new instant replay guideline that
could loom large. Instant replay is used in all conference games,
but for non-conference games, the visitors must agree to its use.
The decision will be left entirely up to the coach. Last year,
Dorrell opted not to use instant replay when UCLA played at
Illinois.
As for bowl games, the Rose Bowl, this year’s BCS title
game, will have instant replay. In terms of the other 28 bowl
games, conference commissioners will present the idea to the NCAA
in late September or early October.
With reports from The Associated Press.