A year after it was tested, instant replay has been getting positive reviews from the coaches of the Big Ten.

“I think all of us are unaminous in our support of the system,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “The bottom line is everybody wants to get it right.”

Nine conferences have adopted last year’s Big Ten experiment. The Sun Belt and Western Athletic conferences are the only two holdouts, although the two are planning on using it next season.

Instant replay has also been approved for use in all 28 bowl games this season.

Despite the widespread support for instant replay in its second year, some coaches still raise issues about its effectiveness.

“I’ve said all along that I don’t know if I’m a real big instant replay fan,” Ohio Sate coach Jim Tressel said. “You don’t see a block or a hold, something that could affect the play as much as whether the players foot was down before the line.”

In the system used by most conferences, a replay official in a booth initiates replays when something is reviewable. The Mountain West conference uses a similar system which is more like that used in the NFL. Coaches initiate reviews by challenging calls.

Most Big Ten coaches are unsure if that is the best route to take since it has a tendancy to lengthen already long games.

“Our game saturday was 4 hours and 31 minutes,” Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. “Need I say more?”

Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez also finds coaches challenges unnecessary.

“I think we have the answer,” Alvarez said. “I like the way our system’s being run and operated.”

You Gotta Have Hart

After weeks without sophomore tailback Mike Hart, Michigan finally saw what it was missing in its overtime win over Michigan State.

In his first game back Hart, who was battling a hamstring injury, rejuvinated a Wolverines offense that had grown stagnant on the ground. But Michigan coach Lloyd Carr was quick to note on Tuesday that Hart doesn’t simply improve the Wolverines when he’s running the ball.

“He’s willing to play without the football,” Carr said. “I don’t see anyone out there who’s a better protector as a back.”

Hart’s statistics when he does run the ball are hard to ignore. Hart rushed for 218 yards and a touchdown in his return Saturday.

Having played less than two games this season, he still leads the team in rushing by more than 100 yards.

“You can’t just pick out one thing as an athelte because its more in the totality of who he is,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. “When he’s on the football field we’re a better team because he’s a great player.”

Early Risers

Big Ten coaches debated the wisdom in graduating high school a semester early to participate in winter and spring workouts. The practice has become more commonplace in recent years as some highly ranked recruits, like Penn State’s Justin King and Derrick Williams, have arrived early to start working out with their college teams.

“I’m old fashioned,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “If it were my son I’d prefer him to stay in high school and enjoy his high school experience, but that’s the trend now. Everybody wants to be 28 when they’re 18.”

While some coaches, such as Michigan’s Lloyd Carr note the obvious benefits of learning the team system a semester early, others are less certain that the players aren’t losing valuable life experience.

Penn State’s Joe Paterno, who is coaching King and Williams, is among those with concerns.

“You only go to high school once,” Paterno said. “You may as well play the whole role out and have a little fun doing it – King and Williams came in here in January and didn’t miss a beat. Now if they have regrets 15 years from now because they didn’t go to a prom, that worries me a little bit.”

Reach David Kalan at [email protected].