For those wondering how the Big 12’s new instant replay system is working, Tim Mills, Big 12 coordinator of football officials, has a progress report.
“We’re ahead of the game from where we thought we might be,” Mills said during Monday’s Big 12 Conference call. “I have been very pleased with the process as we get into Big 12 Conference play.”
Through nonconference play, the Big 12 has used instant replay in 23 games. Mills said there have been 17 challenges and eight calls reversed.
“That is the approximate percentage that the NFL hits almost every year,” Mills said.
Mills said the average time for the stoppage in play has been 1:40-1:45. “That’s a good area for time of replay,” he said.
There have been five or six “confirmations” per game. Confirmations are instances in which plays were reviewed without stopping the game, determining the call on the field was correct.
Nothing grand
Little about the Nebraska football team this season can be considered grand, so why should we expect anything special from coach Bill Callahan? He insisted after a bye week full of work he is making no grand predictions about the future of his anemic offense that was supposed to be fun-and-gun.
Nebraska ranks last in the Big 12 and 107th in the nation in total offense. The Cornhuskers have averaged just 271.3 yards per game, 3.9 yards per play, and have scored just three offensive touchdowns in three games.
“You’d like to sit there and make all these statements, but I just can’t,” Callahan said. “All I know is that we’ve worked hard to get better. How that comes through, I don’t know.”
The natives are getting restless. In Nebraska’s 7-6 win over Pittsburgh two weeks ago, cheers could be heard when the Huskers lined up in the I-formation. Those turned to groans when the fullback was sent in motion.
Nebraska is 3-0 heading into its Big 12 opener at home Saturday against Iowa State.
Hodges’ hot start
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has seen good starts and big numbers from his quarterbacks before. But the start by Cody Hodges stands out.
The fifth-year senior has ripped through a trio of Division I-AA defenses on Tech’s nonconference schedule with uncanny accuracy. Whether it can legitimately be celebrated is a valid question, but the numbers are interesting. He’s 80-of-106, a whopping 75 percent completion rate, for 1,117 yards and 12 touchdowns and one interception.
“Hodges is on the higher side of accurate of all the guys I’ve worked with, for sure,” Leach said on the conference call.
Footnotes
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops had the Sooners practice all weekend during their bye week. Normally, he gives his teams the weekend off during a bye. “The work last week wasn’t anything about punishment,” Stoops said, “but we just had a lot to do before we started conference play.” … For the first time in school history, Texas A&M had a 300-yard passer, 200-yard receiver and 100-yard rusher in one game. Reggie McNeal had 317 yards passing, Jason Carter finished with 219 yards receiving and tailback Courtney Lewis totaled 136 yards rushing vs. Texas State.
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
