5-yard Shift Might Kick Off Big Change

[NT80]

Posted on Wed, Aug. 22, 2007

5-yard shift might kick off big change

By WENDELL BARNHOUSE

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

A few minutes after 6 p.m. next Thursday, toe will meet leather in the first games of the 2007 college football season. The location on the field where that kick occurs is as newsworthy as the forward pass was in 1906 or the end of single-platoon football in the 1950s.

Kickoffs will come from the 30-yard line. That off-season rule change, part of a continuing effort to shorten the real time it takes to play a 60-minute game, might have slipped the notice of the casual fan.

College coaches, normally a cautious bunch, are saying that moving kickoffs 5 yards will have a significant impact on the game.

"I think it could change college football as much as anything we've ever seen," Texas coach Mack Brown said.

"It's one of the most significant rule changes to come about in recent years, maybe in a decade," Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said.

"This is a profound rule change that's going to have a major impact," Florida coach Urban Meyer said.

Are the coaches right? Will 5 yards make a significant difference?

From 1925 through 1985, kickoffs came from the 40-yard line. In 1986, kickoffs were moved to the 35.

The number of kickoffs returned per game increased by almost one from 1985 to 1986, but the average on the returns has remained about the same: about 20 yards.

The NCAA doesn't keep statistics for the number of kickoffs that wind up as touchbacks.

However, the Web site cfbstats.com tracked all kickoffs from the past two seasons and determined 29.9 percent of kickoffs from the 35-yard line went for touchbacks. Of the kickoffs from the 30-yard line (due to penalties), only 8.8 percent resulted in touchbacks.

Some ways the change could have an effect on games:

Strategic choices

It could start before the opening kickoff with the coin toss. Typically, the team that correctly guesses heads or tails prefers to defer its choice to the second half and chooses to kick off.

"In six years as a head coach, we've deferred 98 percent of the time," Meyer said. "We wanted to kick off, play defense, force a three-and-out, a punt and then start on offense with good field position. Flip the field.

"We're going to start the season taking the ball if we win the coin toss."

Kicking tactics

If teams lack strong kickers or if the wind is a factor, teams might elect to trade distance of the kick for height or position.

Kickers might try to kick high and short, similar to a punt, to allow tacklers a chance to race down field. Or kicks might be aimed for one of the sidelines to help pin the return man.

"I think you're going to see some teams, based on the ability of their kickers, do more strategic kicking, which could limit the number of returns," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "We did an awful lot of pooch kicking, where the kick is real high and they don't have an opportunity to return it. I see more of that occurring this year."

Onside kicks might be used only in desperation.

"I think anyone trying an onside kick for the surprise factor would think twice because you're giving the other team the ball around your 40 if you don't recover," Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione said.

Officiating/penalties

Consider this scenario: A team caps an emotional comeback by scoring a touchdown with less than a minute remaining. However, the team celebrates so boisterously it is flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

That means the ensuing kickoff will occur from that team's 15-yard line.

"Field position is huge," Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "You get a 15-yard personal foul penalty after a touchdown, then, all of the sudden, you're kicking off at the 15. That's something that could hurt."

Injuries

Iowa State coach Gene Chizik points out that if there are more kickoff returns, there could be more injuries. Purdue's Tiller agrees.

"The most violent play in all of football is the kickoff," Tiller said. "So, now, we're moving back 5 more yards to create more G forces. I think about the health and safety of the players. What's it going to do? Probably more injuries for the players and a few more kicks will be returned."

LSU coach Les Miles has this advice for fans, starting from the opening kickoff: "Don't be late and, after a touchdown, don't go to the concession stand."

Rule changes

The major college football rule changes for 2007:

This season / Last year

Kickoffs from the 30-yard line unless relocated by penalty / Kickoffs were from the 35

On kickoffs, the clock will start when the ball is legally touched / The clock started when the ball was kicked

After a first down or change of possession, the clock starts when the ball is snapped / The clock started on referee's "ready for play" signal

MANY HAPPY RETURNS?

The Web site cfbstats.com tracked kickoffs for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. The raw numbers illustrate how the kickoff rule change might impact the game:

KO start KOs Avg. ret.** FP**

50* 128 20.7 28.1

35 14,496 20.3 27.0

30* 160 23.4 32.1

20* 282 20.8 39.9

*kickoff yard line changed because of penalty **averages include only those kickoffs that are returned FP-average starting field position (in receiving team's end)

Rule changes

Two other college football rule changes for the 2007 season:

After television timeouts, the play clock will be set at 15 seconds instead of 25 seconds. The play clock will still be set at 25 seconds on TV timeouts after kickoffs.

Timeouts to stop the clock that don't involve TV breaks will be reduced from 60 seconds to 30 seconds.

[UNTflyer]

Consider this scenario: A team caps an emotional comeback by scoring a touchdown with less than a minute remaining. However, the team celebrates so boisterously it is flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

That means the ensuing kickoff will occur from that team's 15-yard line.

I had not even thought of this. Celebration penalties are lame, IMHO. I can see a penalty if the entire team rushed the end zone after a TD, but what makes college football special is the emotion of beating a rival or winning a conference title. It's time to relax this penalty.

[Green to the Bone]

I had not even thought of this. Celebration penalties are lame, IMHO. I can see a penalty if the entire team rushed the end zone after a TD, but what makes college football special is the emotion of beating a rival or winning a conference title. It's time to relax this penalty.

Avoiding the likelihood of getting this penalty was one of the stealth components of the DD strategy.