Play of the week

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by secondregionbug

A team has the ball first and goal with 1:50 on the clock to go in the game. The coach tells you that he is going to take a knee and run the clock out. The other team is out of time outs. After the ref tells the players the QB is going to take a knee, he fakes to the FB and runs a sweep to score a TD. How would you handel this?

CANADIAN RULING:

No touchdown can be scored. Apply penalty from PLS.

[JasonTX]

What's the point in Team A of even having to snap the ball then? Anything can happen on the last play of the game even on a kneel down. I had a game once where Team A was winning with time running out. Team B was out of timeouts. Team A snapped, B rushed and the QB took a knee. The next play we knee Team A would be taking a knee. The ball was snapped but the QB muffed the ball. Luckily for Team B they weren't playing lightly and they ended up recovering the ball. Imagine if we would have even hinted for Team B to quit playing. Play hard till the clock hits zero no matter what team A says they are going to do. We have to be good enough as officials to be able to react to any nonsense that takes place when and if team A does take a knee.

[Niner]

If a coach announces he's taking a knee at the end of the game---he GETS a knee if its a clean snap in my game. Had it happen when the head coach announced it and the defense heard him but the O coord. got his wires crossed and called a pitch out from the victory formation.

[jjrye22]

Our association (Berlin/Brandenburg in Germany) tells everyone very loudly, and we would blow it dead. There are too many problems here in the men's leagues with unsportsmanlike conduct and fights and stuff.
It happened too often here that someone dove on a knee or did something like that at the snap.
I would like to see something in the rulebook about not having to snap when within the possibility of running all the time off.

James

[JasonTX]

Just remember that the defense isn't the one "giving up". They have every right within the rules to play tough until the clock reads 0:00 and the ball is dead. Telling them to let up or to play soft is taking away their opportunity to get the ball in the event there is a muffed snap. Team A just needs to do what they've been doing all game and that is protecting the QB. In NCAA, if the QB simulates taking a knee (starts down but goes back up) by rule the ball is dead.