Rules changes yield fewer football plays

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ORONO – Fans who plan to go watch the University of Maine’s football home opener Saturday against Shaw University, or any college games this fall, should be aware of a few rules changes implemented by the NCAA.

On kickoffs, the clock now starts when the ball is kicked, rather than when it is fielded.

The other difference concerns a change of possession. When the ball is turned over, the clock is restarted as soon as the 10-yard chains have been repositioned and the referee’s whistle signals the ball is ready for play.

In the past, the clock did not start on a change of possession until the ball was snapped.

“You’re going to lose time in the game to run plays,” said UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove, who hasn’t noticed a huge difference in the Black Bears’ first two games.

While it has been suggested the TV networks were the impetus behind the changes in the hope of better fitting telecasts into a three-hour window, NCAA associate director of playing rules Ty Halpin was quoted as saying the major conferences sought the change.

It was at first estimated the changes would shorten games by about five minutes.

“They won’t give up the TV commercials and the money, but they’ll shorten the game,” said UMaine associate head coach and offensive coordinator Bobby Wilder. “They’re taking away from the kids and the fans.”

While it’s still early, a recent report in the Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal said the first two weeks of NCAA Division I-A games experienced a reduction of 4.3 plays per team, per game, and an average drop of 26.0 yards per team.

The average length of a game has surprisingly dropped almost 20 minutes.

Division I-AA UMaine, which averaged 74.2 plays per game in 2005, has managed only 59.5 per game thus far. The Bears’ games have been an average of 24 minutes shorter than a year ago.

“The game’s quicker. You’re running less plays,” Wilder said.

The new rules likely will affect teams most when gaining possession of the ball late in a game or near the end of the first half.

“It can create situations where you’ve got to be ready to go,” Cosgrove said. “That hasn’t happened [to us] yet.”

The changes place additional pressure on teams that are trying to drive the field and score near the end of a half and will force them to be more efficient with their two-minute offenses.

“In the past, on a change of possession, the clock stopped,” Wilder said. “You had time to huddle; you had time to come up to the line of scrimmage, get set and the clock didn’t start until you ran your play. We’ve had to be prepared for that situation.”

MMA Hall of Fame to induct two

Former soccer standout B.C. Voyou and athletic department supporter Fred Haley will be inducted Saturday into the Maine Maritime Academy Mariner Hall of Fame.

Voyou and Haley will be honored in the humanities classroom in the Bath Iron Works Center. Refreshments will be served at 10 a.m. with the induction ceremony to follow at 10:30.

Voyou, a native of Monrovia, Liberia, was a record-setting member of the Mariner men’s soccer team from 1993-96. He scored 101 goals and posted 32 assists in only 58 games.

Voyou was a four-time all-state selection and a two-time academic all-american. He holds MMA records for career goals (101) and points (234), season goals (28, 1994) and points (66, 1994), most goals in a game (5, twice) and most points in a game (13, five goals, three assists).

Haley, a 1965 graduate with a B.S. in marine engineering, has contributed to the MMA Capital Campaign, the annual fund and has supported the Mariner Golf Classic for 11 years.

Hale, who owns Haley’s Tire and Service Centers, was inducted in the MMA “Wall of Honor” in 2001.

UM men’s soccer time changed

The starting time for Saturday’s University of Maine men’s soccer game against Binghamton, the Black Bears’ America East opener, has been moved to 11 a.m.

UM sets ‘Military Appreciation’

Saturday has been designated Military Appreciation Day for UMaine’s 2 p.m. football game against Shaw University at Alfond Stadium in Orono.

The Military Pack, for active military and their families, includes: game ticket, barbecue hosted by the U.S. Army, Black Bear hat, game program and special reserved parking. Tickets are $21. Tailgating begins at 11 a.m.

The Maine Army National Guard will have vehicles on display, a rock climbing wall and the cookout and tailgate.

Call 581-1485 for more information.