Foul Behind the Basic Spot

[robert.gdp]

I have a question that may have been answer before, but I just need clarification. It is in reference to spot fouls.

I was calling a high school game. it was 3 and 10. QB receives the snap, drops back and due to pressure, scrambles about 15 yards behind the basic spot (LOS) where he was tackle by the face mask (5 yards). the penalty was accessed from the spot. so then it became 3 and 20. is this the correct enforcement?

Using the 2014 rule by Topic book, it states on page 240, that a "snap" is consider a loose ball play. it states from the time of the snap until the play is dead in or behind the basic spot, it will be consider a loose ball play. Case play 10.4.2 Situation B also reinforce that statement.
The only exception is the All but one where the offense commits a foul behind the basic spot which then will be a spot foul.

AM I WAY OFF BASE HERE??? I went to the state and there response is listed below. I welcome all comments to help me clarified this……



“A pitch is a loose ball. From the snap until the pitched ball is possessed is all part of a loose ball play. Once the ball is possessed after the pitch, everything else becomes a running play.

On a handoff, its always a running play.

Only on a loose ball play is that penalty previous spot. Any foul on a running play has the basic spot as the spot of the foul.

So in your play with a handoff, that face mask is enforced from the spot. There is no advantage gained by the defense on your play at all. In fact, on the very play you talk about, they had taken the offense back 15 yards with pursuit, etc., but then that would be reduced by five yards because of the inadvertent face mask. So they still got the team back ten yards.

I think your confusion in reading the rules may be due to the fact that you can have several running plays on the same play, but only one loose ball play. In the pitch play, you have a loose ball play, followed by a running play, on the same down. Don't equate a down with a play, they are different.”