Pretty basic statistics here, but I thought this was interesting. On the game winning play in yesterday’s Outback Bowl, South Carolina lined up in an illegal formation. At least 7 men – only the ends of which can go downfield – are required on the line of scrimmage (LOS) on each play. Depending on your interpretation of the above formation, South Carolina either had 6 or 9 men on the LOS, as all three wide-outs on the left lined up parallel to one another. One of these wide-outs should have clearly lined up in front of the other two, with the other two set back, for this to be a legal formation. In either case, its pretty clear the three wide-outs are parallel.
If you consider the three wide-outs as off the line of scrimmage, that’s six men on the LOS, a penalty for an illegal formation. If you consider the three wide-outs as on the line of scrimmage, its a penalty for an ineligible man downfield.
The video of the play in its entirety is seen here.
StatsbyLopez 