Bielema Proposes Anti-No-Huddle Rule

A member of the NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema recently proposed a rules change that would create a “15-second substitution period” after each first down to allow defenses to substitute. It echoes a similar “fast offenses are no fun” sentiment that Saban first expressed back in October. Bielema explained to al.com...

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“There’s times where you can’t get a defensive substitution in for 8, 10, 12 play drives,” “That has an effect on safety of that student-athlete, especially the bigger defensive linemen, that is really real.”

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Flying in the face of Bielema’s assertion is a tabulation of 2011 “injury stats” by college football guru Phil Steele. The four most injury-stricken teams all ran pro-style offenses, while prominent no-huddle teams such as Houston and Northern Illinois were among the least-injured teams in the country.