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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.”



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



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

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