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514 Questions

Last Answer on January 23, 2021

My understanding is that by college football rules.. a player in possession and control of the ball, whose knee touches the ground is down at that spot and the play is dead. Is this true in absolutely every circumstance ?

Asked by mercury over 6 years ago

I can't think of a time it's not, so yes. But by asking the question, you obviously heard of, or saw, something that didn't go that way.

428 Votes

Interception in the opponents end zone. Player runs sideways with in the end zone. If tackled is it a safety and 2 points. He doesn’t kneel down.

Asked by Steve OB about 6 years ago

No. The offense put the ball in the endzone, so that can't be a safety. Now, if he left the endzone and then went back in - on his own - and then was tackled, yes, that's a safety, because the ball was put in the endzone by the defense.

426 Votes

College football: punt formation has an uncovered wing wearing an ineligible number, can he be thrown a forward pass (across line of scrimmage)?

Asked by Chris over 6 years ago

Nope. The player is ineligible by number and that is always the case on a pass that crosses the line of scrimmage.

426 Votes

Does the execution of a snap supercede a timeout whistle, blown very slightly after the snap? Should the result of the play count? Can officials deny the timeout request, if not given time to communicate the timeout before the snap?

Asked by grizrule about 6 years ago

You're asking questions of philosophy, something that isn't in the rule book. First, it depends who is calling the timeout, offense or defense. The defense often waits to the last second to call it in order to "ice" the kicker. But if the snap is in the process of going off, it is possible for the timeout to not be granted. You ask about the whistle blowing "very slightly" after the snap; that probably means it was asked for prior to the snap. When you see the snap go and the kick made as whistles are being blown, the timeout was granted prior to the snap - the kick will not count. Usually, for the offense the timeout is granted.

426 Votes

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On Sunday the refs ruled the pass incomplete in the Bears/Eagles playoff game because there was "no clear recovery". If the refs had called it a catch & fumble - with no clear recovery - would the Bears have kept the ball at the 4 yard line?

Asked by Kaptain Kill about 6 years ago

Yeah, that was interesting. Even former NFL ref and now-rules expert Terry McCauley was thrown a bit and had to dig into the rule book and case book.

The NFL sometimes has very different rules from college and high school. I'm more familiar with the latter and if there's a loose ball - and no one recovers it - it belongs to the team last in possession. So in the case you describe, it would belong to the team that was on offense and made the catch.

And all those guys on defense who didn't jump on a loose ball would be fired!

424 Votes

Probably rare... Team A punts. Team B catches ball on their own 30, but there is a penalty (let's say holding at Team B's 25) which is behind where the catch was made.

Where is the enforcement spot of the penalty and where is the ball then placed

Asked by statman24 over 6 years ago

Not rare at all. You are describing a post scrimmage kick enforcement (PSK). Under PSK, if B - the receivers - commits a foul during the kick and they are the team to next put the ball in play, then PSK rules apply. So, in your situation, B holds behind where the kick ends (at the 30); the foul is administered from the spot of the hold at the 25. B 1/10 at the 15.

422 Votes

If a starting QB leaves a game trailing and the backup brings the team back and wins, which QB is credited with the win? The starter or the backup.

Asked by Tim over 6 years ago

On field fame officials are not responsible for statistics. Can't help.

421 Votes

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Football Official

Ask me anything!

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My understanding is that by college football rules.. a player in possession and control of the ball, whose knee touches the ground is down at that spot and the play is dead. Is this true in absolutely every circumstance ?

Interception in the opponents end zone. Player runs sideways with in the end zone. If tackled is it a safety and 2 points. He doesn’t kneel down.

College football: punt formation has an uncovered wing wearing an ineligible number, can he be thrown a forward pass (across line of scrimmage)?

Does the execution of a snap supercede a timeout whistle, blown very slightly after the snap? Should the result of the play count? Can officials deny the timeout request, if not given time to communicate the timeout before the snap?

Also on Jobstr...

On Sunday the refs ruled the pass incomplete in the Bears/Eagles playoff game because there was "no clear recovery". If the refs had called it a catch & fumble - with no clear recovery - would the Bears have kept the ball at the 4 yard line?

Probably rare... Team A punts. Team B catches ball on their own 30, but there is a penalty (let's say holding at Team B's 25) which is behind where the catch was made.

Where is the enforcement spot of the penalty and where is the ball then placed

If a starting QB leaves a game trailing and the backup brings the team back and wins, which QB is credited with the win? The starter or the backup.

Football Official

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

My understanding is that by college football rules.. a player in possession and control of the ball, whose knee touches the ground is down at that spot and the play is dead. Is this true in absolutely every circumstance ?

Interception in the opponents end zone. Player runs sideways with in the end zone. If tackled is it a safety and 2 points. He doesn’t kneel down.

College football: punt formation has an uncovered wing wearing an ineligible number, can he be thrown a forward pass (across line of scrimmage)?

Does the execution of a snap supercede a timeout whistle, blown very slightly after the snap? Should the result of the play count? Can officials deny the timeout request, if not given time to communicate the timeout before the snap?

Also on Jobstr...

On Sunday the refs ruled the pass incomplete in the Bears/Eagles playoff game because there was "no clear recovery". If the refs had called it a catch & fumble - with no clear recovery - would the Bears have kept the ball at the 4 yard line?

Probably rare... Team A punts. Team B catches ball on their own 30, but there is a penalty (let's say holding at Team B's 25) which is behind where the catch was made. Where is the enforcement spot of the penalty and where is the ball then placed

If a starting QB leaves a game trailing and the backup brings the team back and wins, which QB is credited with the win? The starter or the backup.

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Probably rare... Team A punts. Team B catches ball on their own 30, but there is a penalty (let's say holding at Team B's 25) which is behind where the catch was made.

Where is the enforcement spot of the penalty and where is the ball then placed