Rules

Here is a Ray Lutz “Forward Progress” post from October 31, 2008 (Edited for clarity) One of the glaring errors we as officials have consistently made over the years involved the “double…

In 2022, there were 534 rules differences between the NFL and NCAA and 263 rules differences between the NCAA and NFHS. Coaches and spectators often complain about a decision we make based…

We devoted the last seven days to examining Rule 10-4 articles. Let’s conclude our penalty enforcement “series” by unpacking Rule 10-5. These fouls have special enforcement provisions and options for the offended…

The Rule 10-4-7 (20-yard line penalty enforcement) and 10-4-8 (goal line penalty enforcement) articles contain multiple components and the corresponding plays rarely occur on the field. As such, we may be tempted…

Rules 10-2-2d through 10-2-2g identify the penalty enforcement basic spot as the previous spot when fouls occur behind the line of scrimmage and/or when the run or related run ends behind the…

Rule 2-41-10 says, “The succeeding spot is where the ball would next be snapped or free-kicked if a foul had not occurred. When a foul occurs during a down in which a…

In the previous Ready for Play article, we examined Rule 10-4-2 (previous spot enforcement). In Rules 10-4-2d through 10-4-2g, we discovered that penalty enforcement is from the previous spot when the foul…

Four 2023 “previous spot” penalty enforcement modifications were among the most significant Rule 10-4 changes. Before 2023, if a Team A player was flagged for holding behind the line of scrimmage, the…