CONTENTS

Reenters with New Number

Personal Foul on Tying EP

Civilian Sideline Push

NFL Rules - True or False

NCAA Rules

Width of Goal Posts

Which Plays Are Reviewable?

Taunting as Game Ends

NFL Overtime Rules

INT in End Zone, then Two Fumbles

Rushing Quickly to Line of Scrimmage

Illegal Pass after Interception

Double Penalty on On-Side Kick

NFL Extra-Point Rules

Blocked PAT - Tackled in EZ

Sub WR Doesn't Go Beyond Hash Mark

D Lineman Kicks Ball through EZ

Coach Tackles His Own Player

Penalty on Punting Team Enforced Where?

Player Knocks Kick Away from Crossbar

Muffed Punt

Defensive Team with No Timeouts

Roughing the Kicker on the PAT

 

How Well Do You Know the Rules - I

How Well Do You Know the Rules - II

How Well Do You Know the Rules - IV

 

Football Magazine

Golden Rankings Home

 

How Well Do You Know the Rules? - III

Reenters with New Number

In an NCAA game, a player changes his jersey number and reenters the game. Is this an infraction and, if so, what is the penalty?

Roughing the kicker
Personal Foul on Tying EP

In an NCAA game, team A scores a TD with 0:00 on the clock in Q4. Team A kicks the extra point, which ties the game. On the try, a personal foul penalty is called on the defensive team. May team A elect to have the penalty enforced at the succeeding spot in the extra period?

Civilian Sideline Push

In a college game, the ball carrier is driven out of bounds and into the defensive team's area at the defensive team's 45. As the runner tries to return to the field of play, a person in business attire pushes him to the ground. Should a penalty flag be thrown?

Runner goes out of bounds.
NFL Rules - True or False?
Speaker in Helmet
Which of the following statements about NFL rules are true?
  1. Only the QB of the offensive team may wear a speaker in his helmet.
  2. Each player on a given team must wear the same colors on his uni­form as all other players on his team in the same game.
  3. If a player on the kickoff coverage team has one foot on or over the out of bounds line when the ball is kicked, the kicking team may be penalized five yards if the receiving team accepts the penalty.
  4. If an official accidentally blows his whistle while the ball is still in play, the ball becomes dead immediately and is placed at the point where the ball carrier had possession when the whistle blew.
NCAA Rules
Which of the following are NCAA football rules?

(A) Offensive players may block below the waist in a zone that extends 7y on either side of the snapper toward each sideline and goes 5y into the defensive secondary and in the other direction all the way to the offensive team's end line until the ball has left the zone.
(B) If a player is injured within the last minute of a half and this is the only reason for stopping the clock, the opponent may choose to have 10 seconds subtracted from the game clock. The injured player's team can preserve the 10 seconds by using a timeout.
(C) A player whose helmet comes off during the play - not as the result of a foul - must leave the game for one down unless his team is granted a charged timeout to adjust the helmet.
(D) Two players who play the same position at different times in the game may not wear the same number during the game.

LSU No. 30
Width of Goal Posts
Goal Posts
How wide are NFL goal posts? How wide are NCAA goal posts?

(A) 18' 6"
(B) 20' 6"
(C) 21' 4"
(D) 23' 4"

Which Plays Are Reviewable?
Which of the following plays are reviewable in NCAA football?
  1. The QB drops back into the pocket and cocks his arm to throw a forward pass. The ball becomes loose and hits the ground. The referee rules fumble, and the play continues.
  2. Same as 1 except that a defensive player falls on the ball but the referee rules incomplete pass.
  3. Same as 2 in that the referee rules incomplete pass, but the ball rolls for several yards as players scramble to recover it. A defensive player gains possession of the ball as he lies on the ground.
  4. Same as 2 (incomplete pass) but the ball rolls several yards away and the players react to the referee's whistle by slowing or stopping their action. The ball comes to rest or one of the players casually picks it up.
Football Quiz
Taunting as Game Ends
Trailing 30-28 in an NCAA game, team A is in FG formation on third and 10 at team B's 25 with the game clock stopped at 0:04 in the fourth quarter.
  • The kick is blocked.
  • As the ball rolls on the ground, one of the team B members on the field for the play races toward the team A sideline making taunting gestures toward the opponents.
  • By the time a member of team B recovers the ball at the 20, the clock reads 0:00.
NFL Overtime Rules
Which of these statements are true about the NFL overtime rules?

(A) If the team that receives the kickoff to start OT returns the kick for a TD, the game ends.
(B) For regular season games as well as playoff games, if the first team to possess the ball in OT kicks a FG, the game is not over.
(C) Each team has one timeout for each OT period.
(D) Coaches may not challenge any ruling during OT.
(E) If the team that kicks off to start OT recovers an onside kick, then kicks a FG, the game is not over.


INT in End Zone, then Two Fumbles
Team A is on offense deep in Team B's territory. A Team B player intercepts a forward pass in his EZ and begins his return. While still in the EZ, he fumbles the ball when a Team A player grabs and twists his facemask. The ball rolls into the field of play. A member of Team A recovers at the 3 but fumbles at the 2, the ball striking the goal-line pylon.
Rushing Quickly to Line of Scrimmage
True or false?

In the NFL, with the exception of the last two minutes of either half, the offensive team, while in process of substitution or simulated substitution, is prohibited from rushing quickly to the line and snapping the ball with the obvious intent to cause a defensive foul; i.e., too many men on the field.

Illegal Pass after Interception

In an NCAA game, a defensive player intercepts a forward pass in his end zone. He then throws a forward pass to a teammate who is also in the end zone where he downs the ball.

End zone interception
Onsides Kick
Double Penalty on On-Side Kick

In an NCAA game, team A executes an on-side kick at its 35 (A-35). A player from team A blocks an opponent in the front at the waist at the A-41. Then another team A player touches the ball at the A-43. The ball rolls to the A-47 where it is recovered by a team A player.

NFL 2-point Conversion Try
NFL Extra-Point Rules

Classify each statement about NFL extra-point tries as true or false.

  1. The ball must be placed equidistant between the inbound lines (hash marks) for the try.
  2. Barring a penalty (such as a celebration infraction after the TD), the ball must be placed on the 2 yard line.
  3. The defensive team can never score on a try.
  4. A penalty against the defensive team on a successful try may be assessed on the ensuing kickoff.
  5. A penalty against the defensive team on an unsuccessful try may be assessed on the ensuing kickoff instead of on another try if the offensive team wishes.
Blocked PAT - Tackled in EZ

2013 Fiesta Bowl

Situation: Oregon lines up to kick the extra point after a TD that put them ahead 31-10. Kansas State blocks the kick, which goes straight up into the air and is caught by Chris Harper of K-State amid a mass of players at the 2. To escape the traffic in hopes of returning the kick for a 2-point defensive PAT, Harper turns and runs into his EZ. While being tackled, he laterals the ball to a teammate, who fumbles it, picks it up, and is tackled in the EZ.

This same situation occurred in the 2004 Texas-Texas A&M game.

Fiesta Bowl 2013
Sub WR Doesn't Go Beyond Hash Mark

NFL Situation: An offensive substitute comes off the sidelines and immediately lines up at WR between the sideline and the closer hash mark. The ball is snapped, and a play is run. Is this OK?

Defensive Players Kicks Ball through EZ

NCAA Situation: Fourth and 10 with the offensive team in punt formation at its 15. The punter muffs the snap at the 2. A defensive player kicks the ball into the end zone and over the end line. Time in the first half expires on the play.

Interceptor Runs Down Sidelines
Coach Tackles His Own Player

Situation: With ten seconds to go in the half, a defensive player intercepts a pass at the opponent's 40 and heads down the sidelines in front of his own bench toward the goal line. After a few strides, a coach or player on the sidelines grabs the ball carrier and pulls him out of bounds to preserve time on the clock for a FG try.

Is there any penalty on the play?

Penalty on Punting Team Enforced Where?

Situation: In a college game, Team A is on offense, and Team B is on defense. Team A faces fourth-and-10 at the B-40.

Team A punts from a formation in which there are five players in the backfield at the snap. A member of team A is the first to touch the kick when he reaches across the plane of Team B's goal line and bats the ball backward into the field of play. The ball rolls dead at the B-5.

What happens now?

Brad Wing punts
Player Knocks Kick Away from Crossbar

Situation: The offensive team lines up to try a FG of over 50 yards. As the kick comes down over the end zone, a defensive player jumps up and bats it away just before it goes over the crossbar.

Is this legal?

Muffed Punt

SEC Championship Game, December 3, 2011

Situation: Brad Wing of LSU booms a 67y punt to Brandon Boykin of Georgia who calls for a fair catch. However, Boykin drops the ball, which bounces back to the 13 where he picks it up and runs forward three yards before being tackled.

Where is the ball spotted?

Defensive Team with No Timeouts
The defensive team in an NFL game is trailing and has no timeouts remainingwhen it is called for a foul with 35 seconds left in the half. What choices does the offensive team have?
Roughing the Kicker on the PAT
After a touchdown, the team that scored kicks the extra point. However, the defense is called for roughing the kicker during the PAT. What two choices does the kicking team have?

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