NCAA: clock status on inadvertent whistle
 

There's the rule change this year where the clock can be reset to its time and status before the play in which an IW occurs. Tonight at our meeting, the interpretation that was given was different than what I had thought it meant. Previously, I thought the clock was reset to the time at which the snap occurred. Tonight, they were saying to set it to the time at which the ball was marked ready for play. To illustrate:

The ball is marked ready for play with 3:00 to go in the 4th quarter. A snaps the ball with 2:38 on the clock. QBA11 runs and fumbles the ball. While the ball is loose, the LJ blows and inadvertent whistle.

If A chooses to replay the down, is the game clock reset to 3:00 or to 2:38? Do they get a new :25 play clock?

The relevant rule is 3-2-2-i:

i. If an inadvertent whistle occurs on a play and the down is replayed
under the provisions of 4-1-2-b, the time and status of the game clock
shall be reset to their position before the play in which the inadvertent
whistle occurs. The correct time will be established by the best means
available.

There is no caseplay on this situation. The play clock is not mentioned, so I assume a full :25 is given. What do you think?

The intent is to have a complete do over. The only way to do that is to put the clock back where it was when the RFP was blown. THis only applies if the team in possession elects the option to replay the down. Otherewise clock stays as is.

I hears some discussion on this in a meeting this summer, the result of which was that (assuming a moving clock after the RFP) A) the best solution is to reset the clock to where it was when the RFP was blown, start the clock, and give a new 25 seconds, and B) if it could not be determined with any degree of accuracy when the RFP was blown ... but it COULD be determined more accurately when the the ball was snapped, to reset it to the time when the ball was snapped and DON'T start the clock.

A is obviously better, but B seems a logical solution which also is as close to a do-over as possible in some circumstances. Problem was - other than the "as best as you can" part of the rule, it didn't seem we had rule justification for B.

The worst thing you can do, though, is a hybrid of these - set the clock to when the ball was snapped AND start the clock, or set it to when the RFP was blown and NOT start the clock.