[Middleman]

Originally posted by Kelvin green
I am not saying it is a do over but a replay of the down ... Rule 10-5-5 also states that "The score is nullified if the penalty is accepted for a foul, other than non-player or unsportsmanlike, by A which occurs during a down resulting in a successful try, field goal, ot touchdown"

Kelvin, you are misapplying this rule. Note that it is a foul by *A* that causes the score to be nullified, not a foul by B.

... In this circumstance with only 38 seconds left to go in the game, there would have had to be a better way for Team A to run out the clock...

You are right, there is a better way to manage the clock. The runner could go down (e.g. "take a knee") in the field of play ... but they chose to score instead.

but let;s take somehting else...

Team A is up by 1 and have been very poor at PAT's etc and they have 1:40 or so left in the game and they want to run out the clock. They now have a third and long and they have to pass. During the completed pass that scores a TD, the passer gets roughed. Clock now stops at 1:20 and Team B has no time outs. Team A believes that it is their best interest to accept the penalty, get a new series of downs, and retain the ball, Are we going to tell a coach sorry you cant do that because end of the run was in goal-line so you still have to take a TD and give up the ball? To me that kind of ruling is not in line with the intent of the rules. The only commom sense place to place the ball is the line of scrimmage like we would in a loose ball play.
I dunno but I would hate to be the one to try and explain to a team why they lost a game because they declined a penalty but still had to take a TD and give the ball to the other team who scored and won.

Bad example, Kelvin. The penalty for roughing the passer when the down ends beyond the line of scrimmage with no change of possession is the end of the run ... still a touchdown in your example.

This is third-world stuff. It probably will not happen, and if it does, it is not likely that an excited high-school captain will not want to keep his points. If you wish to talk fair play and common sense, how about the 1998 rules change that eliminates A's right to decline a foul by B when there is a double foul and a change of possession?! That change not only violates the "Football Fundamentals #41" but also makes it an advantage for Team B to foul on the last timed down of a game if they are behind in the score. They have nothing to lose, and possibly a win to gain.

The original concept of rule 10-5-4 when it first appeared years ago was that a team could do no better in a given play than to score six points, or two on a try. Giving the team another opportunity to do the same thing (score) was frivolous and could lead to no greater gain than a score. Scoring points is the object of the game, after all. I believe this rule change is ill-conceived and will only lead to confusion such as yours. But it doesn't alter the results in this case ... you can't make it do-over.