BillsFever
07-30-2003, 05:49 PM
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -- College football will eliminate the "halo rule" this season, forcing punt returners to call a fair catch if they don't want to be hit.
"I always felt like if a guy wanted protection all he had to do was hold his hand up," Bobby Gaston, the coordinator of officials in the SEC, said Wednesday.
Under the halo rule, the kicking team was penalized if a player came within 2 yards of a returner before he caught the ball. The rule led to many borderline penalties and gave the returner a cushion as he tried to get away from the initial tackle.
This year, a returner must be given only an "unimpeded opportunity" to catch the ball, which is more in line with the NFL rule. The penalty for failing to do that or for contacting a player who has signaled for a fair catch will be 15 yards.
Also, if a receiver muffs a ball on a fair catch he can't be hit until it touches the ground or is out of his reach.
"It throws a lot of judgment on our behalf," Gaston said. "I think you'll see it enforced equally from Saturday to Saturday. That's the one thing coaches ask from me."
The other significant rule change allows teams to enforce an unsportsmanlike penalty after a touchdown on a kickoff instead of the extra point.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2003/07/30/rules_changes_ap/
"I always felt like if a guy wanted protection all he had to do was hold his hand up," Bobby Gaston, the coordinator of officials in the SEC, said Wednesday.
Under the halo rule, the kicking team was penalized if a player came within 2 yards of a returner before he caught the ball. The rule led to many borderline penalties and gave the returner a cushion as he tried to get away from the initial tackle.
This year, a returner must be given only an "unimpeded opportunity" to catch the ball, which is more in line with the NFL rule. The penalty for failing to do that or for contacting a player who has signaled for a fair catch will be 15 yards.
Also, if a receiver muffs a ball on a fair catch he can't be hit until it touches the ground or is out of his reach.
"It throws a lot of judgment on our behalf," Gaston said. "I think you'll see it enforced equally from Saturday to Saturday. That's the one thing coaches ask from me."
The other significant rule change allows teams to enforce an unsportsmanlike penalty after a touchdown on a kickoff instead of the extra point.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2003/07/30/rules_changes_ap/