Coronado, Calif. – Mountain West Conference coaches will need to get their throwing arms warmed up this year.
All but two of the 11 Division I-A conferences voted to implement instant replay this season, following the Big Ten’s experiment last fall. But the MWC is the only league that adopted a coaches’ challenge.
If a coach wants to challenge a call that the replay official does not review, he may throw a red flag, one per half. The challenge must be called before the next snap of the ball, just as in the NFL.
If a play is not overturned after a coaches’ challenge, the team will be charged a timeout. If the coach wins the appeal, he will be allowed a second challenge in that half and no timeout will be charged.
The NCAA established a narrow list of circumstances that are subject to replay – specifically when a runner breaks the plane of the goal line, whether a runner or receiver is in bounds and the recovery of a loose ball. Also subject to replay are forward progress errors only in respect to a first down, clock adjustments, illegal forward passes, and pass completions or interceptions. Judgment calls including holding, false starts, roughing the passer or kicker, and pass interference are not subject to instant replay.
MWC deputy commissioner Bret Gilliland said in an analysis of 24 games last year, 18 plays would have been overturned, 10 more would have been reviewed without being overturned and 28 plays would have been reviewed as correct without stopping a game.
Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry and San Diego State coach Tom Craft were on the MWC committee to establish guidelines. Ironically, Craft did not allow instant replay when the Aztecs played at Michigan last season. Craft said he did not want to interrupt the flow of the game for his no-huddle offense and all the replay officials would have been from the Big Ten. Afterward, he realized a disputed call might have been resolved by instant replay.
When San Diego State lost to Colorado State on a late fumble, Craft said had the coaches’ challenge been in effect, “If I could have hit Sonny (Lubick) with the flag, I would have.”
DeBerry said coaches will feel the brunt of not calling unnecessary timeouts.
The league will cover the $125,000 in start-up expenses for equipment and fees to the replay officials.
Footnotes
DeBerry said he is awaiting resolution from the academy on the status of a key defensive player. Although he would not reveal the name, starting sophomore linebacker Marcus Brown is not listed in the AFA media guide. … Air Force will play at Tennessee in 2006, the Vols announced Monday. … Each Division I-A league has submitted up to 30 candidates including former coaches, administrators and players for the new Harris poll that will be included in the Bowl Championships Series standings. Ten from each league will be randomly chosen. MWC commissioner Craig Thompson confirmed former Wyoming football coach/athletic director Paul Roach, recently retired UNLV coach John Robinson and former BYU quarterback Steve Young are on the MWC’s list. Retired BYU coach LaVell Edwards was asked but declined.
