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Interview with Larry Upson
nited Football League Vice President of
Officiating Larry Upson has an interesting
- and time-consuming - set of tasks.
Upson not only has to assist in putting therule book together, he also has to get both his
officiating crews and UFL teams up to speed
on those rules. That task continued when
Upson went around the country to visit UFL
training camps.
“I talked to them about the five major rule
changes we are implementing this year, and
the defensive restrictions,” said Upson, who
also took questions from the teams aboutcertain rules, both new and old.
Among the rules changed in 2010 from
2009 are a 15-yard penalty from the spot of the
foul for interfering with the opportunity to
make a fair catch after a muff, a play being
blown dead immediately anytime a player loses
his helmet, extending protection to all players
from “blows to the head of a defenseless
player” and outlawing defensive players fromlining up directly across from a long snapper
on any kick type.
Defensively, each team has to have four
down linemen each play, and they have to rush
the passer. In addition, no more than six
players can rush the passer on a given play,
and any blitzing linebacker or defensive back
must be behind the defensive linemen when
the play begins, and they can’t crowd the lineof scrimmage before the snap.
In addition to educating the rest of the
league about rules, procedures, etc., Upson
also has to educate the members of public that
aren’t yet aware of what the UFL brand is.
“It’s just telling everybody and letting
everybody know that we
play professional-style
football,” said Upson. “We
don’t have any quirky rules.(It’s) just trying to convince
everybody that we are a
professional football
league that plays
with professional
football rules.”
Those rules are
made up by the members
of the UFL’s competitioncommittee, which includes
Commissioner Michael
Huyghue. Upson said the
committee looks at a few things the National
Football League does, and see if the UFL can
tweak them and put its own spin on them.
The UFL rule that Upson likes best is the
overtime rule, where both teams are
guaranteed possession of the ball before awinner is declared. The rule was showcased on
the league’s biggest stage, as the UFL’s first-
ever overtime game was the first-ever
championship game.
“I like the dual possession in overtime,
where both teams are given the opportunity to
possess the football,” Upson said. “When I
mention that to the clubs, I get a positive
vibration back from the players. It’s atremendous step in the right direction for our
league that we’ve stepped out there and said,
‘We’re going to take the lead on this.’ ”
Upson was pleased with the officiating in the
UFL last season, despite the challenges putting
crews together for a first-year league presented.
“I think the league officiating last year,
considering what we were dealing with mixing
college officials with pro rules, by and large,
we had an outstanding year,” he said. “I mean
that from the bottom of my heart. This year, I
expect the officiating to be even better,because we’ve had time to concentrate on just
our set of officials.”
Upson got a first-hand look at how teams
are progressing in training camp, and he’s
impressed with what he saw.
“There is a tremendous amount of
organization at every camp I’ve been at. It’s
like every NFL camp that I’ve ever gone to,”
he said. “The attention to detail, the checkingon the little nuances, it’s night and day. It’s
a 1,000 percent different than what it was
last year.
“It’s a first-class operation. It is
unbelievable. It’s amazing to see everything
that’s in place.”
U
Upson preparing teams,
officials for upcoming seasonBy Dusty Sloan
September 18, 2010 UFL TODAY 11
“I like the dual possession in overtime,where both teams are given the opportunity topossess the football.”
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The Last Time They Met…
he closest game of the UFL season to date came at The Meadowlands, as the Redwoods (now the Mountain Lions) improved
to 2-2 with a second victory over the 0-3 Sentinels (now the Colonials). The contest was in the balance until the final two
minutes, when the Redwoods forced their second and final turnover of the game to seal the win.
California took a 17-3 lead late in the second quarter, but New York came back with a 45-yard field goal by Piotr Czech
as the first half ended, then a 5-yard touchdown pass from Quinn Gray to tight end Christian Hopkins in the third quarter to
make it a 17-13 game. The Redwoods, however, were able to fend off the Sentinels in the fourth quarter, getting a 44-yard
Parker Douglass field goal for insurance, then forcing the deciding fumble and recovering with 1:21 remaining.
TEAM 1 2 3 4 TOTAL
California 7 10 0 3 20
New York 0 6 7 0 13
KEY PLAYERS
Shane Boyd, QB, California - 18-for-23, 192 yards, 1 touchdown
Cory Ross, RB, California - 23 carries, 79 yards; 7 catches, 63 yards
Dontarrious Thomas, LB, California - 10 tackles, 1 for loss
Quinn Gray, QB, New York - 22-for-32, 230 yards, 1 touchdown
Craphonso Thorpe, WR, New York - 9 catches, 93 yards
Leon Williams, LB, New York - 11 tackles
TEAM QTR TIME SCORING PLAY CAL NY
CAL 1 10:19 Ross 25-yard pass from Boyd (Douglass kick) 7 0
NY 2 12:36 Czech 36-yard field goal 7 3
CAL 2 8:09 Douglass 27-yard field goal 10 3
CAL 2 0:26 Boyd 5-yard run (Douglass kick) 17 3
NY 2 0:00 Czech 45-yard field goal 17 6
NY 3 2:17 Hopkins 5-yard pass from Gray (Czech kick) 17 13
CAL 4 2:37 Douglass 44-yard field goal 20 13
T
OCTOBER 29, 2009 - GIANTS STADIUM, EAST RUTHERFORD,NEW JERSEY - CALIFORNIA REDWOODS 20, NEW YORK SENTINELS 13
September 18, 2010 UFL TODAY 19
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Stadium Guide
UFL TODAY September 18, 201032
Re-entry
There is NO re-entry to Rentschler Field. Persons leaving will not be readmitted. Medical emergencies will be handled at theGuest Relations booth at Gate B.
Prohibited Items & Weapons Policy
The following items are prohibited at Rentschler Field:
Other items deemed by Management to be dangerous or inappropriate will also NOT be permitted.
• umbrellas• coolers• outside food & beverage• thermos bottles
• flasks• back packs & oversized handbags• banners• signs and flags
• horns and other noise makers• laser pointers• animals (except assistance animals)• weapons of any kind
RENTSCHLER FIELD