### NCAA Closes Loophole After Oregon Ducks' Tactical Exploitation in Win Over Ohio State

The NCAA has responded swiftly after the Oregon Ducks capitalized on a regulatory loophole during their recent victory over Ohio State. In a closely contested game that ended 32-31 in Oregon's favor, a strategic move by the Ducks' head coach, Dan Lanning, prompted a significant rule change by the collegiate football governing body.

During the dramatic finale, the Buckeyes were pushing for a game-winning field goal with only 10 seconds remaining. On a vital 3rd-and-25 play from Oregon's 43-yard line, Ducks cornerback Dontae Manning entered the field as a 12th defender. This violation led to an incomplete pass from Ohio State’s quarterback, Will Howard, causing four seconds to elapse. Despite being advanced five yards due to the penalty, Ohio State remained out of field goal range, with little time left to capitalize on the next play.

Steve Shaw, NCAA secretary-rules editor, announced changes in the rulebook designed to eliminate any defensive benefit in critical situations involving too many players on the field. Specifically, if a defense has 12 players participating in the final two minutes of either half, the offense can now opt to accept a penalty that includes resetting the game clock to the time of the snap. However, if the 12th player is merely attempting to exit the field, the offense keeps the existing advantage of a "free play" without the clock resetting.

"Football is a very dynamic game," Shaw stated. "Occasionally, there are specific situations where committing a penalty can give a team an advantage. A guiding principle of the NCAA Football Rules Committee is that there should be no benefit when a team commits a penalty."

Following Oregon’s crafty execution, aimed at preserving precious seconds and influencing the outcome, the new rule ensures no team can exploit similar situations moving forward.

After the game, Lanning acknowledged the intention behind the move, revealing, "We spend an inordinate amount of time on situations, and some situations don't come up very often in college football, but this was obviously something we had worked on. You can see the result."

In the wake of their controversial yet effective tactic, Oregon leaped to No. 2 in the rankings, while Ohio State dropped to No. 4. The immediate rule modification seeks to reinforce fair play and prevent any future manipulative strategies from shaping the outcome of the game.