By Brandon Judd
Fans of TiVo unite: instant replay has hit the Mountain West Conference.
The conference announced the framework for its plan of instilling instant replay in the 2005 season on Monday at the MWC Football Media Days in Coronado, Calif., which will include the utilization of a coaches challenge.
?Anything that will ensure the better team to be a winner of a particular contest, I?m in favor of,? BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said.
Over the past six months, a subcommittee, which included MWC head coaches Tom Craft (San Diego State) and Fisher DeBerry (Air Force), worked on the specifics of the system. Of the 11 conferences in Division I-A football, only two ? the Sun Belt Conference and Western Athletic Conference ? will not be using an instant replay system in 2005.
MWC Deputy Commissioner Bret Gilliland said there are two main principles when reviewing a play: there must be indisputable video evidence for an on-field call to be changed, and the review must have a direct, competitive effect of the game.
Plays that can be reviewed include plays governed by sideline, goal line and end line (such as determining if a runner broke the plane of the goal line), passing plays, and other detectable infractions (for example, clock adjustments). Gilliland said the list of reviewable plays is standard for all NCAA football conferences.
?It makes the game a lot more accurate,? DeBerry said. ?If a kid makes a catch, he should be credited for it.?
At each game, a replay official will review every play in the booth. If he sees a play that needs to be reviewed, he will page the officials on the field. After doing so, the replay official will review the play from different angles and make the final decision, a process the MWC estimates will take a maximum of two to three minutes.
Gilliland said the if a game is televised, the feed from production truck will be used for the video source. For games that aren?t televised, the in-house stadium video will be utilized.
One thing that will make the MWC?s plan different from the other eight conferences utilizing instant replay, however, is the use of the coaches challenge.
In each half, head coaches will be allowed one challenge. If their challenge changes the ruling on the field, his team will be awarded one more challenge in the half, equaling a maximum of four challenges from one team per game. If the challenge is not successful, however, the team will lose a timeout (the team must have a timeout to challenge a play). Also, only the head coach may throw the flag to challenge a play.
?You can utilize it the way you want,? Craft said. ?Because you could lose a timeout, you?ll be careful how you utilize that.?
Gilliland said instant replay will also be used in non-conference games, with the home team?s instant replay system being used.
DeBerry was quick to point out that utilizing an instant replay system isn?t sending the message the MWC officials are sub par, but rather is set up to help them when, for example, they may have been out of position on a play.
?This is not, in any way, a put down on officials,” DeBerry said. “We do have great officials. The whole thing is set up to benefit the game and the player for making a great play.?
Gilliland said because the system is in the experimental phase, there will be gray areas and judgment calls. Because of this, there will be changes made to the system as the 2005 season goes along. Despite these gray areas, Gilliland said the motivation to use technology to help make the right call is a major reason for utilizing the instant replay system.
?We will use technology to catch egregious mistakes,? Gilliland said. ?It gives us an excellent opportunity to try and maximize our football operation.?
