Steven M. Sipple: Emphasis on helmet-to-helmet penalties too much

Life in the Red
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It occurs seemingly every year in college football. Officials deem a certain rule a point of emphasis, and coaches cringe because they figure they’ll see about twice as many flags as usual for the particular infraction.

This season, officials are cracking down on helmet-to-helmet contact.

I’m all for safety in the sport. But based on personal observation, officials are overdoing it with the helmet-to-helmet emphasis. Too many clean hits are eliciting personal-foul penalties, and there’s a reason for the erroneous calls: Such hits often occur in a flash, making it difficult for officials to make an accurate determination.

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Exhibit A: Nebraska redshirt freshman Jase Dean’s hit on Louisiana-Lafayette punt returner Louis Lee on Sept. 26. Dean was flagged for a personal foul, even though video review shows the hit was clean. Dean’s shoulder struck Lee in the chest, while Dean’s helmet was about a foot from Lee’s head. Trouble was, Lee’s head snapped back, which often is the case on such hard hits.

There may be a relatively simple solution to this issue. Perhaps officials should return to monitoring such hits the way they once did during games. In other words, stop the current overemphasis. Meanwhile, turn up the emphasis on postgame video review. If a certain hit is deemed violent and intentional in a postgame video review, then the player should be punished accordingly, perhaps with suspension from competition.

In fact, a new rule covers such a scenario. The NCAA rules committee before this season added a section that calls for conferences in the days following a game to review certain particularly dangerous plays. The new rule reads in part, “if the review by the conference reveals actions that should have resulted in a personal foul but were not called, the conference may impose sanctions.” What’s more, the new rule says if a player is ejected for any flagrant personal foul, the conference must review game video for possible further action.

Let’s get one thing straight: I’d never fault officials for erring on the side of caution. By the same token, if defenders are ducking their heads lower than usual while making tackles — mindful of the recent emphasis — then they’re suddenly at risk for neck injuries. Bottom line, it simply might be asking too much of officials to consistently make accurate calls on possible helmet-to-helmet plays, which so often occur in a snap.

Steven M. Sipple's Cram Session: The no-huddle

These games are key

THE OBVIOUS: No. 1 Florida at No. 4 LSU. Tim Tebow (concussion) practiced Tuesday for the first time in 10 days. But would it be wise to send him out Saturday night against the Tigers’ swarming defense with limited practice time?

THE NOT SO OBVIOUS: No. 22 Georgia Tech at Florida State. An FSU trustee says fundraising has slowed considerably as the Seminoles (2-3) have stumbled to their worst start since 1976. Can Bobby weather another storm?

Heisman watch

THEY’RE IN THE MIX

QB Tim Tebow    Florida

QB Colt McCoy    Texas

QB Jimmy Clausen    Notre Dame

QB Todd Reesing    Kansas

QB Tony Pike    Cincinnati

KEEP AN EYE ON: Clausen. The 6-3, 220-pound junior leads the nation in passing efficiency. “There’s not a better quarterback in the country right now,” Lou Holtz said Saturday on ESPN. When it comes to the Irish, Lou specializes in hyperbole — but he might be onto something here.

The ups and downs

Thumbs up to Charlie Weis. I always hear that the guy can’t coach. But this much is certain: His team is 4-1 after three straight heart-stopping finishes. And what I watched Saturday was an Irish outfit that willed itself to victory with amazing pluck and poise in pressure situations.

Thumbs down to excessive celebration penalties. The unsportsmanlike conduct call against Georgia wideout A.J. Green on Saturday was flat-out awful, and costly to the Bulldogs. Taunting and even gesturing to the crowd obviously are no-nos. I get that. But Green was merely celebrating with teammates, and the SEC on Monday admitted as much. Too little, too late.

Crunching numbers

4-0. Nebraska owns a perfect record in Thursday night appearances on ESPN, with wins at Southern Mississippi (2003), Oklahoma State (1993, 1995) and Texas Tech (1994).

Going to the (e-)mailbag

“As a die-hard Sooner fan in the heart of Husker nation, I was amused at your pronouncement that OU will be “just another good team” on the schedule. Keep in mind that despite all the injuries and rebuilding of the offensive line, we are three points shy of being 4-0 and ranked in the top three. As for the defense looking ordinary, I remind you that as a team, Miami had 32 rushes for only 140 yards. I believe we are giving up a meager 8.3 points per game against some pretty good offensive teams (BYU, Tulsa and Miami). Also, it’s not like Zac Lee is Jacory Harris ... Oh well, as my Mom used to say, talk is cheap. Let’s file this one away and talk again on Nov. 8.”

Good points. And I agree with your mom.

Behind enemy lines

Some more on Missouri

Having been Missouri’s radio play-by-play announcer since 1994, Mike Kelly has appreciated the Tigers’ improvement as a program in recent years.

The question on the minds of many this season: Can Mizzou sustain its recent high level. Can the Tigers replace stars with stars?

“I think this season will continue to be an examination of the program,” Kelly said Tuesday “That was one of the things I used in the opening of the (season-opening) Illinois game. While the work in the classroom is under way, the examination continues on the field, because of the number of players Missouri lost.“

Missouri had six players selected in last April’s NFL Draft. But the Tigers (4-0) so far have managed well this season.

Quarterback Blaine Gabbert obviously gets a lot of attention. However, Kelly said, Missouri’s foremost strength may be its versatile wideouts.

“Unlike other spreads, this offense isn’t afraid to operate without a tight end,” Kelly said. “They can put three, four and five wides on the field and really still be productive. You have big targets in 6-foot-5 Danario Alexander and 6-4 Wes Kemp. Jared Perry is a speed guy who’s slight in terms of build, but he’s been very effective.“

On defense, Kelly said, one must respect the leadership ability of senior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon.

“Can he will this defense to a level it hasn’t reached at this point of the season?” Kelly asked. “Actually, they were very good against Illinois defensively. But how good is Illinois? The thing you still wonder is, can Weatherspoon will his players to play at his level against an opponent like (Nebraska).“

Five to go …

OK, so NU-Mizzou isn’t exactly Huskers-Sooners in terms of nostalgia. But NU-Mizzou has produced its share of memorable moments:

1. Matt Davison’s miraculous catch in 1997, which preserved NU’s national title hopes, obviously tops the list. “Whether I wanted it to or not, everything in my life kind of changed that day,” Davison says.

2. The Bummeroosky in 1975 — a fake punt on which the Husker upback John O’Leary sped to his left while virtually everyone else headed right — gave Tom Osborne his first victory over Missouri after two losses.

3. Nebraska I-back Rick Berns rushed for 255 yards in the 1978 game in Lincoln, but the Huskers suffered a crushing defeat one game after a stirring upset of Oklahoma.

4. Late hit or legit? That was the burning question in 1982 after Missouri’s Randy Jostes knocked Turner Gill from the game late in the first half, leaving Bruce Mathison to save the day for Big Red.

5. Mizzou QB Peter Woods in 1976 lofted a desperation heave in the final two minutes that resulted in a 98-yard touchdown to Joe Stewart, handing Nebraska its first loss after five wins and a tie.