TUESDAY, Oct. 2, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- The most dangerous play in football can be rendered safer through a simple rule change, a new study out of the Ivy League suggests.

Moving the kickoff line forward by just five yards -- from the 35- to the 40-yard line -- reduced the average annual concussion rate in Ivy League football by more than 68 percent, the study revealed.

That change makes players less likely to run the ball forward, eliminating the potential for high-speed collisions during kickoff returns, said study author Douglas Wiebe, director of the Penn Injury Science Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

"At the end of the day, the results are really quite compelling," Wiebe said.

Kickoff returns account for more concussions than any other play in football.

In 2015, kickoffs accounted for 6 percent of all plays during a game but 21 percent of all concussions in the Ivy League, the researchers said.

Statistics compiled by the National Football League (NFL) show that concussions are five times more likely to happen during kickoffs, ESPN has reported.

"Players on the receiving team have the time and space to get up to full speed running forward. Players on the team that just kicked the ball are running at full speed toward them," Wiebe said. "High-speed high-impact collisions are just quite likely to occur during this type of play, relative to other types of play."

Because of this, the Ivy League in 2016 decided to move the kickoff line forward five yards.

"The rationale is it would give the kickers a better chance for the ball to reach or go beyond the end zone," Wiebe said. "Players would be more likely to take a knee rather than move the ball forward."

Kickoffs happen frequently during a football game, including at the start of each half and after a scoring play.

One team kicks the ball to the other. The receiving team tries to get the football as far back down field as possible, while the opposing team tries to tackle the ball carrier as quickly as possible.