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I'm trying to put together a list of "Ten Things That Could Happen That We All Pray Don't" for--well, for kicks. Here's four questions I've got so far. If you see anything wrong with these questions, please don't hesitate to correct me. This is all off the top of my head so I may have missed some rules or something. Also, if you have more (I'm still six short) please post!
Thanks!
Question One:
Team B leads Team A 8-7 with :01 remaining in the 4th quarter. 3rd and Goal from Team B’s 4 yard line. Team A attempts a field goal to win the game. The field goal is blocked, which is then picked up by team A kicker A1 in an attempt to run the ball in. During the run, lineman A74 holds at the five yard line. A1 runs to the one yard line, where he is hit and fumbles into the endzone. B35 recovers the fumble and returns ball. During B35s return, B56 holds in B’s endzone. B35 returns fumble for a touchdown. Time expires during the down.
Answer: While this is a double foul (a foul by both teams), team B’s foul occurred AFTER the change of possession, thus they could decline team A’s foul to maintain possession. However, doing this would mean that B56’s hold would be enforced using the all-but-one principle. Since the hold occurred during a running play, the basic spot would be the end of the run. However, since the foul occurred BEHIND the basic spot, it would be enforced from the spot of the foul—team B’s endzone. Which would be a safety for team A, giving Team A a 9-8 lead. So Team B would be forced to accept the foul by Team A, giving us a double foul situation. The fouls would offset, and the down replayed. An untimed down must be played since there was an accepted foul on the last timed down of the quarter, and if team A then hits their field goal, Team B would be chasing stripes off the field.
Question Two:
Team A leads Team B 8-7 with :01 remaining in the 4th quarter. 4th and 10 from Team A’s one yard line. Attempting to avoid taking a knee in his own endzone, Team A quarterback A8 will attempt a QB sneak to end the game. However, he fumbles the snap into his own endzone. He picks the ball up in the endzone and runs out of the endzone. Not thinking, he throws an illegal forward pass from the 2 yard line. The pass falls incomplete. Time expires during the down
Answer: If Team B’s coach knows that the loss of down would cause the ball to turn over to Team B, this could lead to mass chaos. While normal enforcement procedures would turn the ball over to Team B at the 1 yard line, the game would be over. Since periods are only extended by live ball fouls that DO NOT carry a loss of down, the game would be terminated.
Question Three:
Team A leads Team B 10-7 with :13 remaining in the 4th quarter. 4th and 10 from Team A’s one yard line. Team A’s snap goes array and the punter attempts to avoid a safety by throwing a pass from his own endzone. However, his throw is near no eligible receivers. He is flagged for intentional grounding. The clock reads :01 after the play.
Answer: Team B would want to decline the foul, giving them a safety, since two points do them no good, and they would rather take the ball at A’s 1 yard line in order to attempt to win the game or tie the game with a last second field goal. However, since intentional grounding/illegal forward passes are considered running plays declining the foul would place the ball at the end of the related run. The end of the related run? Inside Team A’s endzone, meaning that even if the foul is declined the result of the play is a safety. Team B would still trail 10-9, and would have to return Team A’s free kick for a touchdown in order to win.
Question Four:
Team K leads Team R 8-7 with :08 seconds to go. 4th and 10 from 50 yard line. R18 is in position to catch the punt, where K13 creams R18 at the R10 before he can attempt a catch. Team K then lands on the kick and the play is blown dead. The clock reads :01 after the play. Knowing that penalizing K back from the line of scrimmage would only allow K to take a knee and win the game, R’s coach/captain elects to take an awarded fair catch at the R10 yard line. Team A (old Team R) attempts a hail marry pass, but the pass is only completed at the 50 yard line. A35 catches the pass, and attempts to run towards the endzone. He gets to the Team B (old Team K) 3 yard line, where he is tackled by the facemask by B71 near the sideline. The clock reads :00 after the play. The officials inform both teams that there must be an untimed down, and Team B’s coach reluctantly agrees. However, before the referee blows the ready for play whistle, team A’s coach calls a timeout. During the timeout, Team A’s coach—an old and wily veteran of the game who knows the rule book very well—tells the referee that he would like to free kick, and would like the ball placed at the middle of the field for his kick.
Answer: This is legal. While few people know that a free kick for FG can be attempted following a fair catch/awarded fair catch, even fewer know that this provision continues if a foul during the down after the fair catch/awarded fair catch causes the down to be replayed as it is in this case. Also, Team A is allowed to request where the ball be placed for a free kick for FG.
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