Return of the run game?
Will new rules regarding when the clock stops in college move teams back toward running the ball as a more sound way to win games?
It'll be a big factor in the games in my opinion. I think we'll see teams that had leads with six to seven minutes in college football over the last, what, 15 years or so…that meant zero, (you were) unprotected. Now if teams have the ability to rush the ball with a clock that continues to move on first downs, very similar to what you see in the NFL, the game is going to expire much quicker and it'll be considerably different to what it's been in the past.
-Mike Gundy at the 2023 Big 12 Media Days
I’ve long been a fan of Mike Gundy as one of the sharper minds around the game of football. His mullet and Okie draw, or explanations of how to mix a cocktail (“you get some ice, fill up with diet coke to about here, and then the rest…whatever you want”), give the impression of a rustic simpleton and not one of the more cutting edge minds in the game.
What he’s speaking to in the above quote is the new clock rules in college football. This coming year the clock will no longer stop on 1st downs unless you’re in the final two minutes of either half. The goal is to shorten these interminable college games as part of an effort to make the sport a little more appealing to younger audiences who have threatened to end the financial boondoggle of live sports.
As a father of three young kids, I’m in favor of getting these games moving. Shorter games are more approachable for young sons you’d like to indoctrinate into the joys of fall Saturdays.
But the impact on the game is actually pretty significant. While a team theoretically COULD run the clock down in the second half on offense, it was often awkward for most teams to get a first down, wait for the chain gang to move the sticks, and then run down 30 seconds to burn up the clock. Especially in the Big 12 where spread teams are used to moving fast, not huddling, and not allowing the defense a lot of time to figure out how to dial up a run blitz or communicate some front to stop your best chain-moving running plays.
Additionally, there was little point, because opponents could score in two minutes anyways with the benefit of the stopped clock. You could never burn enough clock to be safe, or “protected” in Gundy’s above parlance, from a comeback. Now? It’s more natural for teams to burn clock with the run game and it’s harder for opponents to stack extra possessions without using up the clock on their own possessions.
So how impactful is this new rule going to be in 2023? Mike Gundy’s league is a great test ground.
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