Missouri had a significant impact on a rule change in college football, specifically concerning roughing and running into the kicker fouls. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) discussed and announced the change, stating that there will be no foul if a kicker is displaced more than five yards from the position of the snap. This decision came as a response to a roughing the kicker penalty called against Missouri during their 2022 game against Kentucky.
During that game, with 2:34 left in the fourth quarter, Missouri held Kentucky on their own 41-yard line, and Kentucky attempted a punt. However, the snap went over the punter’s head, and after retrieving the ball and punting, the punter was hit by a Missouri linebacker, resulting in a roughing the kicker penalty. The referees made the call because the punter remained in the tackle box, which extends slightly outside of the area between the two offensive tackles. This penalty proved crucial in Missouri’s loss, as it gave Kentucky an automatic first down and allowed them to burn precious time off the clock.
The rule change was made to clarify the circumstances under which running and roughing are no longer applicable to a kicker. The change states that if the kicker possesses or carries the ball more than five yards behind their original position at the snap, these protections are not in effect.
Apart from this rule change, other topics discussed during the SEC meeting included penalties occurring at the end of the first and third quarters being played at the start of the next quarter after flipping the fields, limiting back-to-back timeouts during the same dead ball period, and adjusting the game clock after a play that results in a first down within the final two minutes of each half.
