Oklahoma's Josh Heupel adds his voice to chorus of opponents to proposed NCAA rule changes

University of Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel talks after an OU college football practice in Norman, Okla., Tuesday, August 7, 2013. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

NORMAN — Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel weighed in Friday on the controversy surrounding a proposed NCAA rule change to slow the game down.

Last week, the NCAA Football Rules Committee approved a proposal that would force offenses to wait until the play clock hits 29 seconds before snapping the ball, allowing defenses 10 seconds to make substitutions. The rule wouldn’t be enforced with two minutes remaining in either half.

The proposal has been championed by Alabama coach Nick Saban and Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, who have insisted that it’s all about player safety.

Lots of prominent coaches who run up-tempo offenses have come out against the proposal, including South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, Auburn’s Gus Malzahn and, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy.