QUIZ ANSWERS: 2008 WEEK #2

1. RULING: A retry B8. The result of the play is a safety, a score. There is a change of team possession. There is a score. The penalty is not declined by rule. Team B will be allowed to accept the penalty and force the down to be replayed. The 2007 Rule 8-3-3-c-3 stated, "If a player from Team A fouls before Team B gains possession and there is no other change of team possession during the down, the penalty is declined or becomes an offsetting foul". One interpretation for this 2007 rule was that the penalty would have been declined by rule and Team A would have scored a point even though they committed a live ball foul. Thus, a rule change.

2. RULING: B 1/10 B39. The clock starts on the snap. Team B will accept the penalty for the illegal forward pass. The five-yard penalty is enforced five yards from the spot of the foul, B's 34, and carries a loss of down. If B44 was beyond B's 39 when the inadvertent whistle was blown, Team B would decline the penalty.

3. RULING: A 4/14 A46. No foul. Team A was not in a scrimmage kick formation since it was not obvious that a kick might be attempted. It would be a personal foul if B95's contact involved illegal striking.

4. RULING: A 4/1 B21. The clock starts on the ready. Team A will accept the 5-yard penalty for B98's offside foul. Team A had a legal formation since they had at least five linemen numbered 50-79. The clock starts on the ready since Team A next snaps the ball after Team B possession.

5. RULING: B 1/10 A47. The 15-yard penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul, B's 38. The down is replayed if Team B declines the penalty. When a foul occurs during a down which ends with an inadvertent whistle, the offended team is given the option of accepting or declining the penalty. If the penalty is declined, then and only then does the inadvertent whistle rules kick in.

6. RULING: B 1/10 B35. The clock starts on the snap. Postscrimmage kick enforcement does not apply since the foul was committed by Team A. The 15-yard penalty for the personal foul (blocking below the waist) is enforced from the spot where the subsequent dead ball belongs to Team B, B's 20. The result of the play is a touchback. It would be A 4/39 A41 if the penalty was enforced from the previous spot.

7. RULING: A 1/10 A21. The 15-yard penalty for A65's dead ball personal foul is enforced half the distance from the succeeding spot, A's 12. The penalty for the first foul was completed before B76's dead ball foul occurred. The 15-yard penalty for B76's dead ball personal foul is enforced from the succeeding spot, A's 6, and carries a first down. A penalty is completed when it is accepted, declined or cancelled according to rule, or when the choice is obvious to the referee. Disqualify A65 and B76.

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Rom Gilbert / rom.gilbert@sfcc.edu / September 2, 2008 / (q-0802a)