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Old Sun Feb 22, 2009, 10:42am
ajmc ajmc is offline
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From a practical standpoint, under the NF code, the key consideration may well be who is ahead at the time this situation developed. If the game ended with USC folus by both teams, the last thing you want to do is extend the game for an untimed down, and give both teams one last shot at each other.

If the Receiving team was ahead, the smart thing to do is persuade them to decline the facemask penalty, thus ending the game. The USC actions happened after the game has ended and whatever disciplinary action might be taken against each player is best left to their respective coaches.

If the Receivers are behind, by more than 7 points, you still might try and persuade them that the smart thing to do is accept the defeat, decline the penalty and end the contest rather than risk an unnecessary untimed down where emotions may be higher due to the USC situations.

If necessary you may have to explain, to an emptional or excited coach, that having the "right" to an untimed down, when young athletes emotions may be at their highest, doesn't mean insisting on an unnecessary "extra" down is the "right" decision and any consequences of something bad happening during that unnecessary down will land directly at his feet.

If the Receivers are behind by less than 7 points, they will likely want the facemask penalty which will provide them with an untimed down, no matter where the subsequent spot may be. Under the NF code, the USC fouls do not "offset", but their actual enforcement can produce the same result. Unless these fouls were completely separate incidences, they should be applied so the ending spot is the same as the starting spot.

Whether you choose to actually step off the yardage, returning to where you started, is your freference. If half the distance is a factor, if at all possible go the long way first, so you'll wind up as close as possible to the starting point. You might remind both teams, depending on how high the emotions actually are, that the consquences for anything stupid done during the down will carry over to the next game, and possibly beyond.
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