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Football Officiating => NCAA Discussion => Topic started by: TXMike on November 28, 2010, 08:10:21 PM
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How tight do you call hits on QBs who are running the option?
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http://www.ncaa.com/allaccess/ (again, scroll down to the SC State v. GSU game -- 42 minute mark)
GA Southern QB was knocked out with an apparent concussion in the GSU playoff game on Saturday. Looked like you could make a case that the SC State defender led with his helmet to a QB without the ball -- but again, in the option this stuff happens.
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Was that hit to an individual who no longer had possession of the ball necessary?
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That's always been the preferred defensive technique of defending the option - man coverage on all potential ball carriers and "tackle" them every play. Makes the qb pitch faster and the rb's take their focus off the pitch.
As officials, we know the "tackle' can only be a legal block on a non-ballcarrier. Now, with the defenseless player/out of the play emphasis, a decision has to be made about the QB after he pitches the ball. After all, it is football. You can't make the defender have to sit back and wait on the QB to come to him because of fear of penalty in the event he makes a last second pitch. At the same time, he can't be fair game either.
I think this is in need of an AR on the NCAA level and a casebook play in the NFHS.
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My rule of thumb is "could he reasonably have known that the QB had pitched the ball"? If the answer is yes, I'm looking for him to ease up a little, which that guy made absolutely no attempt to do.
What I usually say to defenders who start looking confused is something along the lines of "I don't mind you letting him know you're there, but don't knock him into next week". It's worked well enough on the occasions I've had a team committed enough to the option to run it semi-regularly.
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Ok...look where 91's hands go....it almost looks like he might be putting his hands at his neck.... One thing I always did as a white hat....was once the QB no longer had the ball and the defender was still coming after him...was to say in enough of a voice so he could hear me (D-III level) so no
100,000 fan crowds.... was I said...."the ball's gone"... to let the defensive man know the QB no longer had the ball and to let him know if he hit him...he was likely going to get a flag.... on this one...mainly because of where the defensive players hands went toward the head and neck....and because he appeared to have time to veer away....it gets a flag...