ITKThe NCAA is reportedly considering rule changes that would mean the beginning of the end of the Hurry-Up-No-Huddle offense, a gimmicky bush-league offense that depends on a sucker-punch type mentality for success.

Under newly proposed rules, an offense would not be allowed to snap the ball for the first 10 seconds of the 40 second play clock.

According to the NCAA website, “The offense will not be allowed to snap the ball until the play clock reaches 29 seconds or less. If the offense snaps the ball before the play clock reaches 29 seconds, a 5-yard, delay-of-game penalty will be assessed. Under current rules, defensive players are not guaranteed an opportunity to substitute unless the offense substitutes first. This part of the rule will remain in place in scenarios where the play clock starts at 25 seconds.”

The NCAA Football Rules Committee meets each spring to discuss adjustments to rules where needed. The defensive substitution rule, along with targeting rules were on the docket.

In addition to the substitution adjustments, when instant reply shows a player did not commit targeting, the automatic 15-yard personal foul penalty will be retracted.

In other words, common sense is prevailing in Indianapolis, and those depending on miracles and sucker punches for success will have to look elsewhere.

RIP, HUHN.


(Follow ITK on Twitter for Bama news, commentary and smack.)

32 thoughts on “Death of the HUNH; NCAA proposes rule changes”

  1. I have never understood how you can have a no huddle offensive line bobbing and pointing and their is no penalty, but if you have a pro style offense, if they flinch a muscle they get a 5 yard penalty.. one please explain ? Sure it has something with the QB being under center, but the no huddle qb is normally not under center.

    1. Yep, especially if the way you lost required a complete raping of football’s rules as we’ve known them for the last 70 years.

    2. And don’t you cow pushers forget it either!! When you have the power to do things like that just have to go with the flow!! RTR

      1. If anything we need the rule enforced to prevent defenses from cheating, faking injury; the most blatant example I saw was from Auburn.

    3. Our last two losses had nothing to do with HUNH, shit-for-brains. The IB was among other things the field goal kicker not showing up, and the freakest play in history. In the SugarBowl it was an uninspired team playing the most mistake riddled game in Saban’s history, and still stats prove our offense was superior to OU’s HUNH as well as Awbies. Go back to your fantasy world as you will be needing it come the end of November. RTR!

    4. Our last two losses had nothing to do with HUNH, shit-for-brains. The IB was among other things the field goal kicker not showing up, and the freakest play in history. In the SugarBowl it was an uninspired team playing the most mistake riddled game in Saban’s history, and still stats prove our offense was superior to OU’s HUNH as well as Awbies. Go back to your fantasy world as you will be needing it come the end of November. RTR!

    5. Except that Saban beat them better than anybody. Nice try though, it’s just that logic is missing.

      See, I see it the other way around——if you can’t beat Saban at football, try the HUNH and exploit the rules before they fix them so even the refs can do their jobs.

  3. I like being able to see the snap. The entire play, actually, is important to me. Sometimes I even like the opportunity to watch replay.

    Now maybe we’ll get that opportunity in every football game instead of just the best ones.

  4. Some other commentary….

    Washington State coach Mike Leach has his doubts the proposal will gain much traction among coaches in the coming weeks.

    “First off, doubt it will pass,” Leach told ESPN.com. “Second, it’s ridiculous. All this tinkering is ridiculous. I think it deteriorates the game. It’s always been a game of creativity and strategy. So anytime someone doesn’t want to go back to drawing board or re-work their solutions to problems, they beg for a rule.”

    Rogers Redding, the national coordinator of officiating for the NCAA, expected a proposal to be discussed following a record-breaking year for offenses.

    “One could argue tempo is safety-related since it makes the game quicker and runs more plays,” Redding said in January. “But I think the issue would be — and one of the things the committee is always interested in — is what’s the balance between offense and defense?”

    Auburn averaged 73.8 plays per game, which was just above the NCAA average in 2013, and tied for the fifth-most plays in the SEC.

    The two strongest voices that have, at one time, considered supporting rules changes to slow offense also coached the SEC’s slowest offenses in 2013 — Nick Saban at Alabama (65.9 plays per game) and Bielema at Arkansas (64.7).

    Current rules do not guarantee defenses an opportunity to substitute unless the offense does so first. This part of the rule, however, will remain in place when the play clock starts at 25 seconds, according to the proposal.

    This is a non-rules change year at the NCAA, but proposals such as this one can be made for safety reasons.

    1. When the NCAA posts a story like that on their website, it isn’t hearsay. I don’t believe Mike Leach is the spokesperson for anything other than crazy people everywhere.

      Mike Leach or Nick Saban?

      I’m going with Saban.

      The HUNH was fun; I’ll miss it.

  5. Well I don’t care either way…I prefer “old school” football but HUNH ain’t no big challenge to a good “D”…See Seattle vs Denver..UNOWHUTIMEAN Verne…

  6. How will this hurt teams in the last 2 mins of a game? Will the game clock not start until after the 10 seconds run off the play clock? I think for them to change this one rule will cause the NCAA to have to tinker with unknown amount of rules to make it work.

  7. Rule changes because of the HUNH were inevitable. We’ve seen over and over that the officials simply cannot spot the ball and get into position quickly enough to make the proper calls.

    It has nothing to do with power teams “waving the white flag” like some suggest. You have to look no further than the game-tying TD that Auburn scored against Bama. There could have legitimately been 3 or 4 flags thrown on that one play, but nobody was in position to do it.

    So if you’re crying over this, regardless of where you’re coming from, you’re wrong.

    If you were for instant replay being in place to make sure the right calls were made, you HAVE to be for this move as well.

  8. ITK,

    You’re absolutely kidding yoursel if you think this is about anything other than certain coaches trying to legislate away their weakness. Although I don’t like little saban, I’ve always had respect for him… Until now. What’s next? Should we get rid of the option because it puts the QB at risk (i.e., Bama has had difficulty defending it in the past)?

    1. “Until now?”

      What has he done? Where did you read on the NCAA website that he had anything to do with their decision?

      The HUNH was fun while it lasted. As much as you enjoyed whatever advantage it gave you, if you’re honest you have to admit the problems it created for the game of football, not just your opponent.

      There’s a reason tear away jerseys were done away with; it was eventually seen as an unfair competitive advantage. But why? Shouldn’t the defense be able to adapt? Not when it is seen as a gimmick. Rules are almost never introduced to benefit defenses, so when one comes along you know it’s a big deal.

      Beyond player safety, which I don’t believe is even 75% of this issue, officiating crews are not consistent with one another in college football with how they manage games with HUNH teams. The argument has been made here that they don’t allow the ball to be snapped until the officials are set. That’s bogus. On a ten play drive there are so many presnap looks that are missed, where rules governing formations, alignment, etc. are missed. Again, it’s here that the majority of offensive penalties are committed, towards the beginning of the play. The offense acts, the defense reacts. And towards the middle or end, the defense commits whatever penalties they will commit. It’s always been that way, but if we’re brothers, the HUNH allows me to slap you in the face before mom and dad walk in the room, only to see your slap back. It’s a gimmick.

      Tell me, is it fair for your wife to cheat on you as long as she does it quickly? The rules are there for a reason…and the speed of the game doesn’t make them okay to be broken.

      Gimmicks don’t last in football. But just rack last season up there with 2004. A great year that will always be remembered for what it really was.

      1. Is it alright for your wife to cheat on you if she does it quickly? Now that’s a new take on it. You should put that one in the book of $64,000 questions. Though I think inflation makes it more like $1,000,000. LMAO!

  10. The problem is this… when you get to the end of the game and you need to score and score fast…what do you do? REALLY.

  11. How can you say you can only do something at a certain time in the game and not throughout the whole game? When a team is behind at the end and needs a quick score? Why not be able to do it hurry up all the time? I’m just pointing out…ok… I don’t like to watch that kind of football either…I’m just sayin.

    I would like to see some modifications to OT rules. It makes no sense to play a football game that ends in a tie and then play half court basketball to see who wins in OT

  12. If you cant beat them, get them to change the rules.

    This one wont pass. Its already being ripped to shreds. Dead in the water.

    1. It’s being ripped to shreds by HUNH coaches, not the people who matter. Very few of the NCAA rule committee’s proposals don’t go through.

      Auburn delusion in motion. Why are you scared of this? Can’t your coaches adapt?

  13. Ripped to shreds by the HUNH homers who are only worried about themselves and the fact that they can’t compete without tricksey shit. Get a pair of balls and man up, dumbasses. This wouldn’t have gotten this far, being kept secret from you shitheads if it wasn’t seriously considered to pass. What you fucktards have going against you is that injury made it on the agenda. What with targeting and lawsuits for head injuries being an NCAA sore spot; I’d give it about a 95% chance of passing. As for not being able to beatthe pussy offense, I think, dumbassthat you are barking at the wrong squirrel. During the HUNH era – Bama 72-9 and 3 BCS National Championship, 2 were curb stompings of Spread Option offenses. ROTFLMMFAO! RTR!

    1. I thought that “gimmick offense” was never going to work in the SEC.

      Seems to be working so well they gotta change the rules to stop it.

      1. Yep. Kind of like tear away jerseys, it’s unfair. Which is why we no longer have tear away jerseys.

        AU gonna cheat. Rather than working hard, the AU way is to always try and find the loop hole. Gotta love the Tigers!

        1. Snapping the ball within the time frame that you’re allowed to snap the ball is cheating?

          Face it, Saban is so scared of Malzahn he had to run the rules committee to get them to stop something he cant. Pitiful

          1. I think you’re the one that can’t face it, peachy. You can’t see anything other than this being Alabama’s fault.

            But what would Auburn do if they had to play fundamental football? They have the talent to compete, don’t they? I think they do. I don’t think they’re good enough to win fundamentally enough of the time to ignore the HUNH, but that doesn’t make it right.

            “But you’re just an angry Bammer!”

            No. See, if Alabama adapted a HUNH, I’d be frustrated and angry, let alone surprised. I like watching football. When teams play the HUNH, you don’t get to watch football; you get to watch the second half of a play because the broadcast was too busy pretending we had time to watch replay.

          2. I can honestly say, the emptiest I felt all season, even more than the Iron Bowl, and this is FACT, was after the Texas A&M game. 49-42 isn’t a football game. It’s a girls’ basketball score.

            Exploiting rules isn’t a way to win. It’s what those on welfare do to our system. It is the career welfare way of life, put to the gridiron. Which is why rules will soon govern some of the cheap tactics they employ.

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