Football for Dummies
Encroachment, offside, face mask. At a football game any of these words would be common place. But for those who are unfamiliar to football and it’s rules it may sound like a foreign language. Everything, from the rules of the game to the signs made by the officials, can be confusing. If you are one of these people, like my wife who leans over after each penalty and asks “what happened?” then this article is for you, and hopefully it will help you understand the game of football a little more so you can spend more time watching and less time trying to figure it out.
The official NCAA rule book is 226 pages long. Unless you want to curl up with a thick book of rules and guidelines for the weekend, I will attempt to summarize, briefly, the basics rules and penalties. I will also include the signs made the refs after each penalty.
The basics: 2 teams on the field, 11 players each. The offense has 4 plays, downs, to advance the ball 10 yards to receive another set of downs. The offensive tries to advance the ball to the end zone at the end of the field and receive 6 points for doing so with the opportunity to gain 1 or 2 more extra points after. The defensive tries to stop the offense from advancing while staying within the rules. There are four 15 minute quarters in a game.
Offside (False start): This is called when the offense moves before the ball is hiked. It results in a 5 yard penalty.
Encroachment: This penalty is called when the defensive crosses the line of scrimmage before the ball is hiked and touches an offensive player. This too is a 5 yard penalty.
Holding: If an offensive player holds a defensive player it results in a 10 yard penalty. Holding is called when the offensive player wraps his arms around the body of the defensive player or grabs hold of an arm or leg.
Face mask: This is called when a player grabs the face mask of another player. There are two types of face mask. If the player grabs the face mask on accident and lets go immediately it will result in a 5 yard penalty. If the player grabs the face mask and pulls it, it is a 15 yard penalty.
Pass Interference: When a defensive player interferes with an offensive players ability to catch the ball. The defense can still hit the ball away, and do other things to keep the receiver from catching the ball, but he is not allowed to contact the receiver before he touches the ball. It is a 15 yard penalty and an automatic first down.
Roughing the Passer: If a defensive player hits the quarterback when it is clear that the ball has been thrown, a roughing the passer penalty will be given. It is a 15 yard penalty and an automatic first down
If you have ever attended a football game, you will notice that most of the time the crowd is debating the calls made by the officials. Being an NCAA football official is not easy. The rules are complicated and there are hundreds of them, not to mention the constant bickering from the stands. It always seems that the fans disagree with the officials. I am guilty of this myself. But lets face the facts. Most of the time the refs do a descent job, but I will admit that there are some games that they seem out to get my team. Hopefully this brief lesson on the basic rules and penalties will help some of you understand the game a little more. For those of us that already think we know the rules better the refs, we will just continue to make our voices heard. After all, they don’t call us the AG-rag for nothing.