Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks have been the talk of the sporting world over the last couple of days following their 32-31 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, not only because of what took place on the field but also what came after the game.
Recruiting wins? Yes. National relevance and respect? Those are there too.
Rule changes? Apparently.
On Wednesday, the NCAA issued a new rules interpretation on how to handle a penalty for 12 players on the field in the final two minutes of either half. If the defense has 12 players actively participate in the down, the offense can choose, along with the 5-yard penalty, to have the game clock reset to the time that had been displayed at the snap.
This comes after the Ducks were flagged for 12 men on the field with 10 seconds left against Ohio State on Saturday night, The Buckeyes accepted the 5-yard penalty, but could not recoup the four seconds that were drained from the clock during the play.
After the game, speculation arose as to whether or not Lanning and the Ducks purposefully committed this penalty in order to drain time off of the clock. Lanning was asked about as much on Monday night during his weekly press conference, and he all but confirmed that it was intentional, without exactly saying those words.
Dan Lanning’s response when asked about the 12-man penalty vs. Ohio State and if it was intentional or not. pic.twitter.com/5JJwARxWj6
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) October 15, 2024
While this is a loophole in the system that past coaches have exploited as well, it’s after Oregon used it in their victory over the Buckeyes that the NCAA is taking steps to change it. Because of this, many fans want to call it the “Lanning Rule” going forward.
There will likely be many legacies that the Oregon coach leaves behind when his time in Eugene is said and done, and we can add this one to the list.
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