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Duke Scrimmage Hosts ACC Test Of Instant Replay System
By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - The Atlantic Coast Conference's latest test of its instant replay system proved what supervisor of officials Tommy Hunt knew all along - stopping games for reviews will be rare.
That's not to say plays won't get a second look. But as shown Tuesday during a scrimmage at Duke, the original call usually is correct. Hunt and his staff discovered through a study of all games from network TV last season that each would have been halted about two times.
During the Blue Devils' 50-play workout, none was questionable enough to require further study. It was the ACC's second test so far, following another at Georgia Tech.
"The officiating will not be done in the press box, it'll be done from the field," Hunt said in a phone interview from Boston, where he plans to attend another run-through with Boston College.
The system should help off the field, too. During a game, each play that looks even remotely reviewable is bookmarked, and Hunt will watch them all from the comfort of his office.
"This technology has strengthened our grading system," he said.
This year, eight conferences will use instant replay for the first time. The Big Ten experimented with it a year ago, with a technical adviser watching the game from the press box and notifying officials on the field via pager if he saw something questionable.
The ACC's system will require three people in the booth _ a technical adviser, a replay technician who actually grabs the plays off the video feed and a communicator, responsible for getting in touch with the referee or other officials on the field.
Only two of the positions were filled at Duke, since a communicator wasn't really needed. The technology appeared to work well after a few early hiccups, but none of replay officials were made available to reporters.
No one from the ACC was there, mostly because Hunt figured no one was needed.
"We're not going to hold their hands during the game," he quipped. "They know how to do it."
If the technical adviser deems a call questionable, he has the communicator stop play on the field, where the referee and four other officials are wearing pagers. Then the referee and field judge come to a sideline phone to get instructions from the booth.
Duke spent about $50,000 building the replay booth, said associate athletic director Mitch Moser.
"Anything that can help the game, I'm for," Blue Devils coach Ted Roof said. "Provided it doesn't make the game significantly longer."
