Could Oregon’s deliberate penalty against Ohio State lead to a change in the rules? Here’s the latest update.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A strategic move by Oregon and coach Dan Lanning has sparked discussion throughout the college football community this week, potentially leading to a mid-season rule change. During Ohio State’s final drive in their 32-31 loss at Oregon on Saturday, the Ducks called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining. After the break, Oregon had 12 players on the field.

EUGENE, OREGON – OCTOBER 12: Place kicker Atticus Sappington #36 of the Oregon Ducks kicks a field goal against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium on October 12, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

This was a low-risk, high-reward tactic for the Ducks, providing an additional defender to prevent a significant play. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw an incomplete pass. The Buckeyes accepted the five-yard penalty, but it did not bring them into field goal range.

Ultimately, the main impact of the play was the four seconds that Ohio State lost. The officials handled the situation correctly, but the NCAA is reportedly considering altering the interpretation of the rule to prevent the penalized team from benefiting.

One proposed change is to reset the game clock to its previous state before the penalty, similar to how the NFL manages analogous situations.

Oregon’s intentional decision to have 12 players on the field against Ohio State may prompt a change in NCAA rules. (Photo by Sean Meagher/The Oregonian)

 How Ohio State Players Graded Against Oregon

Here’s a summary of the offensive grades from Pro Football Focus for Ohio State players in their game against Oregon (minimum 20 naps played):

– QB Will Howard: 75.2
– WR Emeka Egbuka: 74.5
– WR Jeremiah Smith: 70.0
– RB TreVeyon Henderson: 65.0
– LG Donovan Jackson: 64.4
– C Seth McLaughlin: 61.7
–  Quinshon Judkins: 60.9
–  TE Bennett Christian: 57.7
–  TE Gee Scott: 57.6
–  WR Carnell Tate: 55.3
– RG Austin Siereveld: 53.9
–  RT Josh Fryar: 52.0
– RG Tegra Tshabola: 41.7
– LT Josh Simmons: 38.3
– LT Zen Michalski: 37.6

Below are Ohio State’s defensive grades from the same matchup (minimum 10 snaps played):

– S Lathan Ransom: 78.1
– DE JT Tuimoloau: 73.8
– S Caleb Downs: 73.1
– LB Sonny Styles: 71.4
– LB Cody Simon: 69.9

– DT Tyleik Williams: 67.1
– DT Kayden McDonald: 65.4
– DE Kenyatta Jackson: 63.7
– DE Jack Sawyer: 62.3
– DE Caden Curry: 62.2
– CB Davison Igbinosun: 61.6
– DT Ty Hamilton: 60.4
– CB Jordan Hancock: 56.4
– CB Denzel Burke: 41.7