ADVERTISEMENT

Posts

Forum list Trending threads Live feed

Posts

Sources: NCAA investigating Michigan football for alleged rule violations related to sign stealing

WVUALLEN
Ross Dellenger and Dan Wetzel
Updated Thu, October

www.yahoo.com

Sources: NCAA investigating Michigan football for alleged rule violations related to sign stealing

The Big Ten Conference received notification from the NCAA that the organization is conducting an investigation into the Wolverines.
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com

The NCAA is investigating the Michigan football program for allegedly violating rules that prohibit teams from scouting, in person, future opponents, industry sources told Yahoo Sports.

The allegation pertains to NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which reads: “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited,” sources say.

The Big Ten Conference received notification from the NCAA that the organization is conducting an investigation into the Wolverines, a league spokesperson said. The spokesperson declined to confirm any more details.

"Late Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten Conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan football program," the Big Ten said in a subsequent statement released Thursday. "The Big Ten Conference has notified Michigan State University and future opponents. The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation. The Conference will have no further comment at this time."

Teams are normally provided extensive video footage to scout opponents. At issue, according to sources, is whether Michigan used unnamed individuals to attend games of both scheduled opponents and possible College Football Playoff opponents in an effort to gather information on the signs they use to call both offensive and defensive plays.

Sign stealing is not technically prohibited and has a long and colorful history as part of the game. Scouting opponents in person has been prohibited since 1994. Whether the NCAA believes Michigan was using staffers or others who may be loyal to the program is unknown. So, too, is whether information was detailed via video or some other means or if head coach

is involved.

Michigan is 6-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country heading into a rivalry game Saturday at Michigan State. The Spartans staff was notified of the situation earlier this week.

Two of Michigan's opponents this season told Yahoo Sports they became aware that Michigan knew their play signs. Sign stealing does not violate NCAA rules unless the team uses in-game, electronic equipment to relay the information to players on the field or amongst coaches. The 2023 NCAA football rule book addresses sign stealing in a general way under a section titled Prohibited Field Equipment. It states that “any attempt to record, either through audio or video means, any signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is prohibited.” No corresponding penalty is listed.

The rule book does express the need for coaches to follow the so-called “Football Code” and states that “only the highest standards of sportsmanship and conduct are expected of players, coaches and others associated with the game.” It further lists numerous examples of unethical and unsportsmanlike conduct but sign stealing is not among them.

Regardless, the extent of this operation apparently concerned the NCAA. In-person scouting was prohibited for almost all circumstances in 1994 as a cost-saving tool. Teams commonly use hand signals or visual pictures on signs held aloft on the sideline to tell the quarterback or defensive captain the play.

Stealing those signs has been a gray area in the past and teams routinely switch up their signals to guard against it.

Among college coaches, Clemson is believed to have been particularly adept at it in the past. Much of the speculation fell to former defensive coordinator Brent Venables, now the head coach at Oklahoma. At the 2021 Sugar Bowl, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields said he huddled to call plays more often in an effort to prevent Clemson from stealing signs. Other teams have used curtains, hard-to-read colors and other methods to try to disguise play calls.

Michigan is already under NCAA investigation for a series of Level II rule violations that include Harbaugh meeting with recruits during a COVID dead period, using too many coaches in practice and watching player workouts on Zoom. The school suspended Harbaugh for the first three games of the season after a negotiated resolution between the school and the NCAA for a four-game suspension collapsed. The case is expected to be heard after the 2023 season.
Click to expand...
  • Like
Reactions: deedoubleyou and KingCoal

WVSPORTS.COM West Virginia head coach Neal Brown press conference summary

Keenan Cummings
--West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said that they have a last play grouping but they didn't put it in because they had two plays. They didn't have any offensive guys in it. The best defensive guys are the best vertical guys and bottom line they didn't execute. If he had to do anything again they would have pressured, they would have brought five. They played extremely poor and Houston deserved to win the game and they did all the things that they didn't do over the four game winning streak. Houston was hungrier and they won both sides of the line of scrimmage. Special teams the core guys didn't play well and it wasn't good enough overall. It was the first time they lost the field position battle all year. On the kickoff return, they got guys all off their landmarks. They didn't bully blocks and they had three guys just whiff. They had poor kick locations with the ball not in the air enough. Oliver Straw had his worst game in two years with hangtime and placement. The punt return team gave Preston Fox no chance and they didn't do well. Kickoff return team blocked it well but the returners didn't see it. By far the worst performance defensively of the year, with high pad levels and they didn't shed blocks. They needed to dominate with the front six. The zone drops were off and they didn't get to their spots which gave up easy completions. They scored touchdowns on five of their last seven drives and they had zero takeaways. Tomiwa Durojaiye played decently and Fatorma Mulbah played well but that was about it. Offensively that was their best game. Kole Taylor and Devin Carter were good. They just weren't good enough up front in the run game and a lot of missed opportunities in the first half. They had chances to put the game away and couldn't do it. They had plenty of opportunities to win that game but they didn't. They're moving forward and he isn't going to talk about that game moving forward after this press conference.

--Oklahoma State is one of the hottest teams in the country. They have won two games against ranked opponents after the bye week and they simplified what they were doing and are playing with a lot of confidence right now. Oklahoma State is focused on running the football. Alan Bowman has been through the league and has settled down and playing well. Ollie Gordon is playing very well at running back and they have some wide receivers that can really go. Their offensive line is playing better as well. On defense it's a three man front with three safeties and if you look at them they're playing fundamental football with good hands. At linebacker this might be the most talented group that they've played. At corner, they have to get hands off them better than they did the other night because this will be a tough matchup there. They've got their hands full and they are excited to get back to work and they will respond.

--Wyatt Milum should be back as Brown feels confident. Aubrey Burks practiced today limited and UCF is likely the time that Tomas Rimac would be back. Justin Johnson was sick and didn't practice last week and Tirek Austin-Cave practiced today.

--Credit Houston that was the best they've played and he isn't discrediting them but they lost the game. Then you go through the ownership and it's about the response as he looked at 15 different plays on both sides of the ball that led to this game.

--Devin Carter left about 60-yards out on the field. They played him more inside against Houston and that's more of a fit for him. He can build off that and they need him to have those type of games moving forward because he made a lot of that happen with run after the catch.

--Whatever the opposite of really good is on defense that's how they played against Houston. They did not deal well with unstructured. Brown felt that he should have handled the bye week a little different and stuck with their original plan of practicing hard on Tuesday and Wednesday. You make notes and you don't repeat the same mistake.

--Your biggest concern is you don't cover everything from a situational aspect. You go back and it was an odd situation. There's a lot of different things they can do with 7 seconds. They can throw the outcut and they could also have done the hook and ladder scenario. They do a lot of hail mary practice, but it's often one play with a dead ball. They didn't execute that play but he could have had them better prepared as well. You're always learning.

--Brown told Garrett Greene right after the game that he knew that happened. What makes him great is his energy, he doesn't have very many bad days and he's always upbeat but you have to be able to limit that whether that's playing quarterback or celebrating a touchdown. But without him West Virginia isn't even in the game, he played very well. They put a ton on him in the run/read game and it was the best he played with his decision-making. Still, he knows better.

--The rule is the rule with taking your helmet off on the field.

--Brown wanted to get Devin Carter some more free runs. They wanted to get him some free runs off the ball and be able to play him on both sides. He is smart and they knew he could handle it. They're going to continue to do that.

--Offensively they were about where they wanted to be in terms of playing the number of players.

--Brown said his name is on the program and he is responsible for it all. Love is telling people the truth and holding people accountable and as a leader you have to set that standard. He has to make more decisions than anybody in the program so he makes more mistakes. You have to be transparent and you lose credibility if you don't. He takes a lot of his approach from his dad who was a leader.

--Pre-snap movement you're trying to get some looks on alignments and get them moving sideways and take their eyes off their keys. They pick and choose because some styles of defense it doesn't matter they will line up regardless. Tempo they will pick and choose. They aren't going to be a team that presses the gas all the time.

--Mike Gundy has done it for a really long time and he's won scoring high and won being one of the top defenses in the country. So he's done it a bunch of different ways and has stayed true to himself. They rebounded from how they performed against South Alabama.
Click to expand...

OT: New practise facility for The Pride of West Virginia to open at Mylan Park

M

WVU Pride Practice Facility moves ahead at Mylan Park​

Friday, October 20, 2023

Dozens of members of

Members of “The Pride of West Virginia,” the Mountaineer Marching Band, will have a new place to practice at Mylan Park starting in 2024, part of a new partnership announced Friday (Oct. 20). (WVU Photo)
Download full-size


A planned partnership between West Virginia University and Mylan Park will provide a new home for “The Pride of West Virginia,” the Mountaineer Marching Band, starting in August 2024.
“As one of the most recognizable programs at WVU, the Mountaineer Marching Band has long deserved a space of its own,” said Keith Jackson, dean of the College of Creative Arts. “We are thrilled to be moving forward on this important project.”
The Pride Practice Facility is a necessary upgrade for the band, which for decades has practiced in a parking lot at the WVU Coliseum. The first phase of the facility, to be completed in time for 2024 band camp, will include a football-field-sized turf field and sound system.
The groundbreaking for the Pride Practice Facility will be held in early 2024, according to Jackson, and will officially kick off a partnership between the College of Creative Arts and Mylan Park.
“For several years, Mylan Park has planned to build an additional turf field,” said Susan Riddle, president and CEO of Visit Mountaineer Country CVB and a member of the Mylan Park Foundation Board of Directors. “We are pleased to announce another collaborative opportunity that will benefit our local community and serve to further support the greater Morgantown area as a tourism destination.”
When not in use by the Mountaineer Marching Band, the facility will be available for other community programming.
“With a focus on recruiting the next generation of band members, we can’t think of a better location and atmosphere than Mylan Park for the new Pride Practice Facility,” said WVU Director of Bands Scott Tobias. “As a community hub, we hope to use this location as a way to further establish the Mountaineer Marching Band as a part of Morgantown community.”
The Pride Practice Facility will add to the University’s commitment to Mylan Park facilities which is already home to WVU swimming and diving, cross country, and track and field.
“We are thrilled to see this project come to fruition,” said Tom Bloom, Monongalia County commissioner. "It is this type of partnership and collaboration that makes our county and our relationship with WVU so special.”
Make a gift in support of the Pride Practice Facility.
Gifts to the Pride Practice Facility are made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.
Click to expand...
  • Like
Reactions: simon_kenton, MikeIII, SHOE84 and 2 others
Load more
ADVERTISEMENT

Filter

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back