Dotson had his helmet pulled off by an IU defender that grabbed his facemask. The facemask penalty was missed by the officials, and PSU got the penalty by having Dotson sit for a play. Stupid rule, unless there is a penalty on the defense for every time a defender grabs a helmet.
Good point. I don't remember the exact play in which the 2 Penn State players lost their helmets, but I do know that no penalty was called on an Indiana defender.
Perhaps these helmet tugs (like the one someone posted here of a Bosa Boy yanking Hackenberg's helmet) are not really penalties. You know , according to the Big Ten rule book created in 1993:
from page 371, section VI, paragraph 4:
1. When an offensive lineman grabs a rushing defensive player who is wearing a generic white helmet, there is no penalty fo holding.
2. If a player wearing a generic white helmet is hit late out of bounds, whether by a defensive or an offensive player, there is no penalty for a personal foul.
3. When a quarterback who is wearing a generic white helmet slides at the end of a run, the defense is permitted to make contact with said QB without incurring a penalty.
4. If a ball hits the ground on a passing play, the pass attempt or the interception attempt is ruled incomplete. NOTE: the exception to this rule allows such a pass attempt to hit the ground and be ruled a completed pass or an interception if the outcome is then unfavorable to a player wearing a generic white helmet.
5. All successful, impactful plays made by a player wearing a generic white helmet are subject to review regardless of how obvious such plays appear to be. Decision of the replay official is final.
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