NCAA proposed rule changes include reviews of second-half targeting calls, players faking injuries

A proposed rule change would allow conferences to appeal targeting fouls that were called in the second half of games in order to avoid the carryover penalty of sitting out the first half of the next game, the NCAA Football Rules Committee announced on Friday.

The committee, which began meeting on Wednesday, also proposed a reporting and investigation process to address teams that are awarded an injury timeout when a player fakes an injury. If the Playing Rules Oversight Panel approves the rules changes at its April 20 meeting, the new rules will begin this season.

If a team believes a targeting call was erroneous, its conference would be allowed to submit a request to Steve Shaw, the NCAA's national coordinator of officials, for review. If it's obvious the player was incorrectly penalized, the call would be overturned and the player would be cleared for the first half of the next game.

«If the past year is an indicator, it will only be a handful of calls,» Shaw said, «but even if it's only a handful, if that's a student-athlete having to sit out a game on a situation where there was an error, we should correct that if we can.»

Every targeting foul is already reviewed by replay, and since there are no «stands,» the officials have to either confirm all aspects of the targeting foul or overturn it. Shaw said the sport is currently averaging one targeting foul in every five games.

«This is not every head coach that's upset their guy got thrown out,» said Stanford coach David Shaw, the chair of the NCAA Football Rules Committee. «This is really a process to make sure that we get it right. That's been our driving force for the last couple of years when it comes to targeting, is really to make sure that we get right, and we