Delay on the Defense?

[RoyGardner]

Originally Posted by mcrowder

Under no circumstances can you blow the RFP unless you are going to let the offense run the play. If you have a delay in allowing you to blow the RFP and that delay is caused by unnecessarily slow readiness by the defense, then by all means flag them for delay. But I can't stress this enough - there is NO circumstance in which the RFP should be blown while you're not willing to allow the offense to run the play.

Our board mechanic when A or B is obviously delaying after a COP and not sending substitute players in from sideline huddle has always been as I stated earlier. After a "this is not a timeout" warning, we will give RFP and if B does not respond immediately to RFP and send players into the game then we stay over ball preventing A from snapping without B in place, but will call a DOG if play clock runs down and B has not immediately responded to original RFP and has players in place well before play clock runs down. It's exactly the same mechanic that we would use if A is delaying on the sideline and we have the ball set and the chains ready. In that case we would give the RFP but allow B to change personnel based on A's incoming players and allow B a reasonable amount of time to complete that substitution process with U still over ball. If the play clock runs out and B has not had reasonable time to complete substituting, such that U has moved back to his position then the DOG belongs to A.

I've never seen (in a game I've been in) a DOG called against either team during the COP substitution process without the RFP having been previously given.

Now, since under current NCAA rules the game clock will in most cases also be running during this time, I'm not sure if we will continue the same way or modify our procedures and flag A or B for delay without having given the RFP.