Whistle in the Stands

[Fan10]

Saw a play in the Alabama/Houston game that I would like to get some opinions on:

Literally right as the QB received the snap, a whistle was blown in the stands. No one on the field stopped, and the play kept going. The QB handed off to the RB who went up the middle and was stopped near the line of scrimmage for little or no gain.

After a pretty lenghty discussion between the officials, the referee announced over the microphone that because there was a whistle blown in the stands, the down would be replayed.

Is there an actual rule in the NCAA rule book that covers this situation, or did the officials just enforce a "common sense" ruling?

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Fan10

Saw a play in the Alabama/Houston game that I would like to get some opinions on:

Literally right as the QB received the snap, a whistle was blown in the stands. No one on the field stopped, and the play kept going. The QB handed off to the RB who went up the middle and was stopped near the line of scrimmage for little or no gain.

After a pretty lenghty discussion between the officials, the referee announced over the microphone that because there was a whistle blown in the stands, the down would be replayed.

Is there an actual rule in the NCAA rule book that covers this situation, or did the officials just enforce a "common sense" ruling?

I've had one in my career. I blew the play dead right away. It's the right thing to do. Turns out the whistle was from a field nearby with people playing soccer. Did the officials reset the game clock?

[Fan10]

Yes, they did reset the game clock.