The kickoff and touchback lines will be moved in college football beginning in the 2012 season.

Teams will kick off at the 35-yard line instead of the 30-yard line, and touchbacks on free kicks will be moved from the 20-yard line to the 25-yard line, the NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved last week. The NCAA announced the changes in a release on its website Friday. The panel approved the decision Feb. 21.

The changes were recommended by the Football Rules Committee after it examined NCAA data that showed injuries occur more often during kickoffs than in other phases of the game.

The move comes almost a full year after the NFL owners voted to move kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line last March. The percentage of touchbacks in the league rose from 16.4 to 43.5 percent, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

Moving 5 yards closer to the end zone on kickoffs could benefit Syracuse. The Orange had just three touchbacks on 56 kickoffs last season. SU also kicked the ball out of bounds four times, which leads to a penalty that gives the opposing team the ball at the 40-yard line.

Syracuse’s kickoff specialist next year will likely be freshman Ryan Norton. Head coach Doug Marrone said on signing day that he thinks Norton will be the kickoff specialist, based off what he has seen on film.

Kicker Ross Krautman handled 53 of Syracuse’s 56 kickoffs last year.

Other new rules that will go into effect next season are:

• If a player loses his helmet — excluding plays that result in penalties on the defense, such as a facemask — it will be treated like an injury, and the player must leave the game for one play. Helmets came off of players more than twice per game in 2011, according to the NCAA release.
• Players are prohibited from leaping over blockers in an attempt to block a punt. Players sometimes flip in the air and land on their heads or shoulders during these attempts, according to the release.
• There is also new wording in the rules regarding blocking below the waist.

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on February 27, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr