I witnessed this a couple years ago and have been curious about it. Team A has the ball around their opponents 35 yd line. Both teams line up as if its a kickoff. Kicker kicks the ball between the goal posts and team is awarded 3 points. What is this rule?
Strange Field Goal
- Thread starter lovethisgame78
- Start date
It's a free kick following a fair catch.
When a team fair catches a kick, they can choose to put the ball in play by snapping the ball or free kicking it. If the ball goes through the opponent's uprights, it's 3 points. The teams lineup just as they would for a kick off.
BTW, you witnessed a football rarity. The announcers in this YouTube clip are clueless as to what's happening.
Confusion in the Pressbox
When a team fair catches a kick, they can choose to put the ball in play by snapping the ball or free kicking it. If the ball goes through the opponent's uprights, it's 3 points. The teams lineup just as they would for a kick off.
BTW, you witnessed a football rarity. The announcers in this YouTube clip are clueless as to what's happening.
Confusion in the Pressbox
Ok thanks. I'm assuming this would only happen at the end of half or end of game because normally the team would rather try for six points.
That's the only time it makes sense to run it.
The play is sort of a football unicorn -- I hope to see one someday, but I'm not counting on it. I have talked to several coaches about it so I know it's a possibility. I've heard of it happening in my neck of the woods only once in 25 years.
There's an added component that bears mentioning. This play is discussed among officials so much more often than it's ever seen that it's ridiculous, but if it ever is used, we'll have history.
Now consider this: If a down is replayed, all the rights and options available before the original play are still in effect.
Let's say there are 15 seconds left in a game and the white team, down by 1, forces a punt. The returner for the white team signals for a fair catch at his own 10 yard line and makes the catch (the second part is vital -- signalling and letting the ball go is not enough). Now there are 7 seconds left and 90 yards to go. The white team runs a play that breaks out but the ball carrier is tackled at the 50, however the tackler is flagged for a 15-yard facemask foul. Time expires during the play.
There will be one untimed down from the 35. However, even though the ball advanced 55 yards, because of the foul, technically the down is being replayed, so the white team still has the options available to it because of the fair catch. The white team puts the ball on a tee at the 35, The red team must back up behind the 25, no rush is allowed, and the kick will be to win the game.
So the real question is, if the white team wins, how many police officers will it take to quell the riot and protect the officials from the mob of people who will not believe that kick was perfectly legit within the rules?
The play is sort of a football unicorn -- I hope to see one someday, but I'm not counting on it. I have talked to several coaches about it so I know it's a possibility. I've heard of it happening in my neck of the woods only once in 25 years.
There's an added component that bears mentioning. This play is discussed among officials so much more often than it's ever seen that it's ridiculous, but if it ever is used, we'll have history.
Now consider this: If a down is replayed, all the rights and options available before the original play are still in effect.
Let's say there are 15 seconds left in a game and the white team, down by 1, forces a punt. The returner for the white team signals for a fair catch at his own 10 yard line and makes the catch (the second part is vital -- signalling and letting the ball go is not enough). Now there are 7 seconds left and 90 yards to go. The white team runs a play that breaks out but the ball carrier is tackled at the 50, however the tackler is flagged for a 15-yard facemask foul. Time expires during the play.
There will be one untimed down from the 35. However, even though the ball advanced 55 yards, because of the foul, technically the down is being replayed, so the white team still has the options available to it because of the fair catch. The white team puts the ball on a tee at the 35, The red team must back up behind the 25, no rush is allowed, and the kick will be to win the game.
So the real question is, if the white team wins, how many police officers will it take to quell the riot and protect the officials from the mob of people who will not believe that kick was perfectly legit within the rules?
I tried to do this in a ninth grade game once.
I was determined we'd do it. Had three kids deep so I'd get the fair catch. Instead something much stranger happened. The team (Clover Hill) punted from their end zone and it went straight up in the air and landed at the three and rolled backwards into the end zone. My kids were trying to do the fair catch and didn't know what to do, and a Clover Hill kid tried to down the ball in his own end zone. He picked up the ball and tossed it to the official who dodged it and it rolled through the end zone for a safety. We didn't get three points, but we got two.
I was trying to decide what would have happened if both teams simply gave up on trying to possess the ball in that situation and it didn't roll through the end zone. I'm assuming it would eventually be ruled a safety since there was never a change of possession and the ball was behind the line scrimmage, but I don't know. I also imagine the referees would wait a LONG time before they called it.
I was determined we'd do it. Had three kids deep so I'd get the fair catch. Instead something much stranger happened. The team (Clover Hill) punted from their end zone and it went straight up in the air and landed at the three and rolled backwards into the end zone. My kids were trying to do the fair catch and didn't know what to do, and a Clover Hill kid tried to down the ball in his own end zone. He picked up the ball and tossed it to the official who dodged it and it rolled through the end zone for a safety. We didn't get three points, but we got two.
I was trying to decide what would have happened if both teams simply gave up on trying to possess the ball in that situation and it didn't roll through the end zone. I'm assuming it would eventually be ruled a safety since there was never a change of possession and the ball was behind the line scrimmage, but I don't know. I also imagine the referees would wait a LONG time before they called it.
