Kirby Smart says new 1st-down rule good start to shortening games UCLA’s Chip Kelly signs 2-year extension through 2027 season Georgia star Jalen Carter charged with racing in fatal wreck

Georgian coach Kirby Smart says the proposed changes to the clock rules shouldn’t significantly affect next season’s games, but he called them a good first step towards reducing the number of games in the name of player health and safety.

The NCAA Football Rules Committee has approved a proposal to keep the clock running when a team makes their first try, except in the last two minutes of a half. Since 1968, the clock has been stopped at the first down until the referee signals ready to play.

The committee put forward two other proposals for the continuation of the games. It would be possible to introduce penalties taken at the end of the first and third quarters, enforced at the beginning of the next quarter, rather than an untimely down. The other makes it impossible for a coach to call consecutive time-outs during the same dead ball period.

“We think the changes here will be minimal,” said Smart, co-chair of the committee. “You could say, ‘Why did you change that at all? It will flow better.”

The committee did not take seriously the proposal to keep the clock running after an incomplete passage.

The proposed changes will go into effect for the 2023 season if approved by the NCAA Rules of the Game Commission on April 20.

Steve Shaw, secretary-editor of the NCAA rules and national officials coordinator, said the rules committee has taken a conservative approach to start the process of cutting games.

With the college football playoffs expanding from four to 12 teams in 2024–2025 and possibly more in the future, conference commissioners asked the committee to find ways to reduce the number of games played in an attempt to mitigate potential injuries. impact.

Shaw said the new first-down clock rule would take about eight games out of the game, which would be about 96 fewer games during the regular season and more for teams that play bowls and playoffs.

The NFL timed first downs throughout the game, and Shaw said the retention of the old rule that the last two minutes before halftime represented a “beautiful difference” between pro games and college games.

“The last two minutes are critical,” Shaw said. “Stopping the clock gives the teams a chance to bounce back. Everyone on the committee was determined: we’re not going straight to NFL rules.”

The committee approved the optional use of instant replay in games that do not have an official replay representative. This would allow the referee to use the available video to make decisions on games to be watched after the coach has been called.

Additionally, with a few exceptions, drones will not fly over the playing surface or over the team area when teams are on the field.

ANGELS – Chip Kelly has signed a two-year contract extension with UCLA, under which he will extend his contract until 2027.

The Bruins were 8-4 last year and ranked 21st in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll, the first time they were ranked at the end of the season since 2014.

“I am delighted with our football program under Coach Kelly and his talented staff,” said the athletic director. Martin Jarmond says in the statement. “The football program is on the rise, both on the field and in the classroom. Coach Kelly and his staff have done a great job of developing the boys, as evidenced by their academic success.”

Kelly has five seasons at Westwood 27-29 and the last two years 16-8. He took over after Jim Mora Jr. was fired in 2017, and in its first two seasons, its roster was mostly filled with juniors.

The Bruins were 3-9 in Kelly’s first year in 2018 and 4-8 the following season. In the shortened 2020 season, the turnaround started at 3-4.

Kelly, 72-36, signed a four-year contract as a college coach last year.

UCLA will enter its final Pac-12 season with a lot of questions. The Bruins were fifth in the nation in total assaults, but the quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson finished and running back Zach Charbonnet went early to the NFL Draft.

Kelly will also have a third defensive coordinator in as many seasons after hiring D’Anton Lynn.

ATLANTA – Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carterconsidered one of the top picks in next month’s NFL Draft, has been charged with reckless driving and racing in connection with a crash that killed an offensive lineman. Devin Willock and recruiter.

The Athens-Clark County Police Department issued an arrest warrant, obtained Wednesday by the Associated Press, alleging that Carter raced his 2021 Jeep Trackhawk against a 2021 Ford Expedition driven by recruiter Chandler LeCroy, 24, who led to the crash site on January 15th.

According to Lt. Sean Barnett of the Athens-Clark County Police Department, Carter was scheduled to come to Indianapolis on Wednesday for an NFL reconnaissance meeting and is expected to review the arrest warrant when he returns to Athens.

“My understanding is that Mr. Carter is making arrangements to turn himself in,” Barnett said in an email to the AP.

Carter, one of six players who were not present Wednesday for scheduled media interviews at the mill, released a statement on his Twitter account saying he expects to be “fully exonerated for any criminal offenses.”

“I received a call this morning from the Athens, Georgia Police Department, informing me that two misdemeanor warrants were issued against me for reckless driving and racing,” Carter said. “This morning, numerous reports circulated in the media containing inaccurate information about the tragic events of January 15, 2023. I intend to return to Athens to answer the wrongdoing charges brought against me and to make sure that the full and exact truth is presented. I have no doubt that when all the facts are known, I will be fully acquitted of any criminal offences.”

The accident came just hours after the Bulldogs celebrated their second straight national championship with a parade and ceremony, killing Lecroy and Willock.

Georgian coach Kirby Smart expressed concern about the allegations in a statement released Wednesday.

“The allegations announced today are deeply disturbing, especially as we are still grappling with the devastating loss of two beloved members of our community,” Smart said.

“We will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities in supporting these families and assessing what we can learn from this terrible tragedy.”

According to the arrest warrant, an investigation by Athens police found that Lecroy and Carter were driving their cars “in a manner appropriate to racing” after they left downtown Athens at approximately 2:30 am.

The warrant says the evidence shows the cars changed lanes, drove into the center turn lane, drove into oncoming lanes, overtook other motorists and drove at high speed “in an apparent attempt to overtake each other.”

Police determined that shortly before the crash, Lecroy’s expedition was moving at about 104 miles per hour (167 kilometers per hour). The warrant states that Lecroy’s blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident was 0.197. The legal limit in Georgia is 0.08.

Willock, 20, died at the scene of the accident. Lecroy was taken to the hospital, where she died from her injuries.

Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith became emotional on Wednesday while talking about Willock at the Scouting Combine.

“This is the first time I’m talking about this,” Smith said. “This is my boyfriend. This is the only person who has never done anything wrong. I get sensitive just talking about it because I love him. He has never done anything wrong in his three years.”

Forward lineman Warren McClendon, who had just announced plans to enter the NFL Draft, suffered minor injuries in the crash. Georgia national football team member Victoria Bowles has been hospitalized with more serious injuries.

The Jan. 15 crash wasn’t the only recent incident in which a Georgia player was charged with racing and speeding. Midfielder Jamon Dumas-Johnsonthe second-highest tackler in 2022, was arrested on Feb. 22 on charges of reckless driving and racing.

According to Athens-Clark County prison records, Dumas-Johnson was released on February 23 after posting an aggregate bond of $4,000-$2,500 for alleged highway/street racing and $1,500 for alleged reckless driving.

Georgia Athletic Department officials said on January 28 that the car Lecray was driving was to be used for recruitment only and not for personal use.