Oregon committed what appeared to be a brilliant intentional penalty at the end of their game against Ohio State on Saturday, and it does not sound like the NCAA was happy about it.
Ohio State had the ball at the Oregon 43-yard line with 10 seconds remaining in the Ducks’ 32-31 win over the Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. Just before the ball was snapped on 3rd-and-25, Oregon called a timeout.
On the next play, Oregon lined up in a regular defensive formation before sending a 12th player onto the field. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw an incomplete pass, but a flag was thrown. The Ducks were penalized five yards for an illegal substitution and having 12 men on the field. NBC announcers Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge attributed the penalty to “confusion” for Oregon’s defense.
As it turns out, Oregon was not confused at all. Head coach Dan Lanning intentionally sent the 12th player onto the field to both prevent Ohio State from converting a big play while also running time off the clock. There were just six seconds remaining after the play, which left Ohio State out of field-goal range with time for only one final play.
