college football: clock running after penalties

[Craptacular]

OK, this is something I've thought I've seen before, but never remembered to use my DVR to my advantage (or thought of it before I had a DVR). The end of the FSU - NC St game illustrated it perfectly.

FSU throws an INT with 2:27 left on the clock, and no timeouts left. So, with the new rule, the game clock starts running when the ball is ready for play for NC St. At 2:09 left, NC St is called for a penalty for breaking the huddle with 12 guys. Then, they restart the game clock with a fresh 25 second play clock. NC St doesn't snap again until there is 5 seconds left on the play clock and 1:49 on the game clock. So, NC State actually ran 38 seconds off the game clock without running a play and getting called for a penalty themselves. I can see not rewarding a team, by stopping the clock, for intentionally committing a penalty in order to stop the clock. I know they have rules in place to penalize those kinds of things. However, why on earth would the team who wants to run clock get rewarded for committing a penalty?? Why wouldn't they then just let the play clock run down to 1 second and then commit another penalty? The extra 13 seconds run off in the FSU - NC St game prevented NC St from having to run a 4th-down play from deep in their own territory. Was this a screwup, or is there some crazy rule that allows it?

[sabotai]

Sounds like a screw up to me. During all of the discussion here, at least, no one said the rule said that the clock runs on offensive penalties and I thought it was always stopped for penalties.

[Huckleberry]

Referee's discretion. That referee was an idiot.