Clemson Football: Rule changes for 2022 season

There are several rule changes for the 2022 season that could effect Clemson football.  Some are minor, some are bigger and others may not mean anything at all.

There is now an appeal process for targeting, where theoretically at least, the carryover part of the penalty where the offending player sits out the first half of the next game can be appealed.

How that works practically is the question as the plan is for the conference to appeal to the NCAA national coordinator of officials who will review the play and if it’s “obvious” the carryover penalty will be overturned.

Could they make the appeal process any more complicated?  Not only that, you’re appealing an official’s call to the head of officials, who has a vested interest in not overturning the original decision.

Likewise, there’s nebulous language around the Deceptive Injury Timeout Investigation.

"Schools and conferences will be able to report questionable scenarios to the national coordinator of officials, who will review and provide feedback to the conference for further action. Any penalties levied would be up to the conference office or school involved."

This sounds like much ado about nothing, or at the very most, investigation post-game of something that could effect the outcome of the game and is of little solace to the team that was impacted.

There is more clarity around blocking below the waist: Blocking below the waist inside the tackle box may only be done by linemen and stationary backs. Outside the tackle box on scrimmage plays, blocking below the waist will be prohibited.

Clemson football will have to adjust to several new rule changes in the 2022 season

Other rule changes include:

• Simulating a feet-first slide is no longer allowed (Kenny Pickett Rule), officials will declare the runner down at that spot.
•  Defensive holding will remain a 10-yard penalty but will always carry an automatic first down.
•  The replay official will address any clock adjustment and status only when a ruling is overturned with less than two minutes in the 2nd or 4th quarter.
• Illegal Touching by an originally ineligible player is penalized five yards from the previous spot and now includes loss of down.

These strike me as minor changes with the rule for blocking below the waist the one that could impact games the most.

While, the blocking below the waist rule will decrease injuries, it’s frustrating that after all these years they still can’t get the targeting rule, penalties for targeting and the appeal process correct and that they’ve basically passed the buck on the fake injuries which everyone knows happens.