2003 PRESEASON EXAM

ANSWERS 61 to 80


61. RULING: TD. A's ball, try, on B's 3. The fumble was recovered by a teammate in B's end zone. Since the down was not 4th down and this was not a try, the score counts.

62. RULING: A's ball, 1st and 10, on B's 45. It is legal for an ineligible lineman to drive their opponents up to three yards downfield but they then must remain stationary. It is legal for the center to move after the pass is released. The 15-yard penalty for the face mask foul is enforced from the end of the run, A's 40.

63. RULING: A's ball, 4th and 15, on A's 43. This is an illegal forward pass since the pass was thrown in or behind the neutral zone after a runner in possession of the ball has gone beyond the neutral zone. The 5-yard penalty is enforced from the spot of the foul, A's 48, and carries a loss of down. The defensive back does not commit pass interference since the pass is an illegal forward pass. There can only be a passer when there is a legal forward pass.

64. RULING: A's ball, 1st and 10, on B's 12. The clock starts on the snap. The 15-yard penalty for roughing the passer, not necessarily the quarterback, is enforced from the end of the run, B's 24. The clock was stopped to award a first down to team B since Team A did not make a first down on 4th down.

65. RULING: A's ball, 1st and 10, on B's 20. The clock starts on the ready. Team B commits a roughing the passer penalty. The 15-yard penalty is enforced from the end of the last run when that run ends beyond the neutral zone and there is no change of team possession at any time during the down. The end of the last run is B's 35. If a player recovers a fumble while grounded, that is considered a run.

66. RULING: B's ball, 1st and 10, on A's 20. There is no foul on the defensive back because the pass does not appear to be catchable by the wide receiver. The interception stands.

67. RULING: A's ball, 1st and 10, on B's 12-1/2. The clock starts on the snap. Team B commits a roughing the passer foul. The 15-yard penalty is enforced from the end of the last run when that run ends beyond the neutral zone and there is no change of team possession at any time during the down. The end of the last run is B's 25. If a player recovers a fumble while grounded, that is considered a run. The clock starts on the snap because the fumble went backward and out of bounds. DQ the Team B player if flagrant.

68. RULING: A's ball, 4th and 9, on A's 45. The clock starts on the ready. After the previous down, it is A's ball, 4th and 4, on the 50. The 5-yard penalty for the false start is enforced from the 50. With the facts listed, Team A would be trying to conserve time. Team A probably did get an advantage with the false start.

69. RULING: A's ball, 1st and 10, on A's 17. The Team B foul occurred before Team B gained possession. The 10-yard penalty is enforced from the previous spot, A's 7.

70. RULING: Game over. Assume the clock ran out during the down. The block by the defensive back is a legal block. The game ends with Team A on Team B's two yard line. Team B will decline the penalty for Team A's illegal formation foul.

71. RULING: B's ball, 1st and 10, on B's 35. Team B did not foul before gaining team possession. Team B will almost certainly decline offsetting fouls. Team A will then accept the 15-yard penalty for Team B's blocking below the waist foul which is enforced from the spot of the foul. If Team B accepts offsetting fouls, it would be A's ball, 2nd and 5, on B's 32.

72. RULING: TD. B's ball, try, on A's 3, free kick on 50. The bat by the defensive end is legal since he batted a backward pass in flight. Team B may elect to enforce the penalty on the try or the succeeding kickoff. If enforced on the try, it would be B's ball, try, on B's 1-1/2, free kick on A's 35.

73. RULING: A's ball, 1st and 10, on B's 29. Team B commits an illegal batting foul by batting the grounded backward pass forward. The 15-yard penalty is enforced from the previous spot. The clock starts on the snap.

74. RULING: A's ball, 4th and Goal, on B's 8. A player is out of bounds when any part of his person touches anything, other than another player or game official, on or outside a boundary line. The wide receiver committed an illegal touching foul when he touched the legal forward pass after being out of bounds voluntarily during the down. The penalty is loss of down at the previous spot. The foul occurred when the wide receiver touched the ball which was while he was airborne.

75. RULING: A's ball, 4th and 20, on A's 17. The clock starts on the ready. A second forward pass during the down is an illegal pass. The ball remains a live ball. The 5-yard penalty is enforced from the spot of the pass, A's 22, and carries a loss of down.

76. RULING: TD. A's ball, try, on B's 3. A player is out of bounds when any part of his person touches anything, other than another player or game official, on or outside a boundary line. The receiver remained inbounds.

77. RULING: A's ball, 4th and 4, on B's 44. The impetus for the ball being in B's end zone is the Team B fumble. Team B will accept offsetting fouls and the down will be replayed. If Team B declined offsetting fouls, Team A would decline the penalty for the Team B blocking below the waist foul and it would be a safety.

78. RULING: A's ball, 4th and 25, on A's 35. It may be that Team A is using a substitution to confuse the opponents. No tactic associated with substitutes or the substitution process may be used to confuse opponents. It is probably reasonable to assume that this play would not be handled consistently by all officials. The ruling may, or may not, be what this web site would rule.

79. RULING: A's ball, 1st and Goal, on B's 7. Since there was no valid fair catch signal, the Team A player does not have to allow the Team B plyer who muffed the ball to complete the catch. The push by the Team A player is legal, provided it was above the waist from the front or the back, since the Team A player may legally get possession of the ball. The ball becomes dead when caight by the Team A player. All subsequent action was with a dead ball. Team A will decline the penalty.

80. RULING: B's ball, 1st and 10, on A's 45. The Team B rusher does not foul since it was not obvious that a scrimmage kick would be made. Team B next puts the ball in play at the inbounds spot on the yardline where the ball went out of bounds.


Rom Gilbert / gilbertr@atlantic.net / June 18, 2003 / (ccb03080)