Assisting the runner, NCAA rule

[9thIsleZebra]

In the 3rd quarter, 6:39 on the clock, of the Cactus Bowl played last night, Kansas St is on UCLA's half yard line. QB takes the snap and immediately the two backs are seen to provide an extra shove through the middle of the line. I've heard that assisting the runner is a part of the NCAA rules but it is almost never called. That would have been foul in an NFHS game and if I'm the R, I'd be reminding the backs to "not help the runner, let him do it on his own", as a preventive officiating measure.

[Rich]

The NCAA rule is different. They can shove the runner from behind all they want -- they can't pick up and pull the runner forward, however.

[Robert Goodman]

I'm surprised that since they made that change, there haven't been more designed plays like that in NCAA. I thought by now the game would look more like that Fielding Yost playbook from 1905 (the year before pushing the runner was outlawed), with many plays calling for assisting the runner from behind. Probably the rules committee knew better than me that it wouldn't have that much effect on the game.

How would you rule if 2 or more teammates grasped each other in order to provide more force to the runner from behind, if they did not at the same time interfere directly with any opponent?