Offensive Pass Interference
 

NFHS rules, 4 down and 15 from the (about) 25. Too far for a field goal, too short to punt, deep throw to the 5, some one throws a flag for Offensive Pass Interference -- not the official covering the catch (Side judge?). The ruling on the play: 15 yards from the LOS, loss of down, ball turns over to B near mid-field. My question, Offensive Pass Interference is a loss of down penalty?

Thanks
Bugg

Yes

Yes, A loses the right to replay the down on OPI.

What I don't get is why more coaches don't try more FGs in HS. It's just like a punt, granted you need to cover it to prevent a return. Even if you wind up with a touchback and put the ball in play on the 20 your still better off than the scenario in the OP.

Correct and in your situation B would have 1st and 10 at B's 40 yard line

why coaches don't try more FGs
 

Actually I know a group of youth & HS coaches who advocate place kicking instead of punting anywhere on the field! I think they're nuts, because of what I consider obvious disadvantages of place kicking. (If the place kick were so good, they'd've done it instead of punting in NCAA & NFL too before they instituted those "field goal attempt" rules.)

Robert

Canadian Ruling
 

CANADIAN RULING:

OPI is 15y from PLS, down repeated. There is no LD, but the penalty is not restricted either.

Actually was done by several teams back in the late 60s and early 70s. Our coach used it when he wanted to pin the other team in the coffin corner....he thought the place kicker was more consistent in getting the ball between the 15 and goal line than our punter.

This was division III. I don't know if any division I teams used it.

Sure made the back judge scramble though ;)

side bar
 

just another observation. I can count on no hands the number of drop kicks I have seen in 12+years. I would think that it would be worth a try if you are in the zone between punts and Fg territory. I just think it would be worth a try, you might get lucky and get the three points. Any one ever seen this kick used?

From the Nashville Tennessean, Saturday, October 13, 2007:

Among the highlights for CPA (4-3):

 A school record for points.

 502 yards in total offense.

 Three touchdown passes by Connor Lowery in the first quarter.

 A second consecutive shutout for the defense and a 126-0 margin of victory in those two games.

 A drop kick by Will Redmond for the final extra point with one minute left.


Link to full story:
http://preps.tennessean.com/apps/pbc...story_id=13899

Why wouldn't the R team get to take the ball from the previous line of scrimmage on a missed field goal?

Because a FG attempt is just like a punt. If it crosses the goal line but fails to score, its a touchback. If it lands in the field of play, its a live ball that can be returned or downed or even fair caught. The only way you go back to the previous spot is an incomplete pass.

Doug Flutie did it a few years ago with the patriots.

Plus the drop kick is outdated since place kicks are 1000x more accurate. Warrenkicker can probably give us a better explanation on why.


The only useful play i've ever seen with a drop kick is on a kickoff. The kickoff team was lined up ready to go. The kicker walks up to the ball on the tee like he's going to adjust it. He picks it up off the tee, then immediately does a drop kick onsides kick!! It was brilliant!

Offensive pass interference can occur away from the intended receiver, in fact, it often occurs well before the pass is thrown. If ANY eligible receiver blocks downfield after the snap -- would be hard to block before the snap -- it is offensive pass interference.

When I was working the wing whenever a block was thrown by an eligible offensive receiver then my focus was on the run and if by chance a pass was thrown it was simply throw a flag.

It is 15 yards and loss of down and in the aforementioned situation it will go to B on downs.

BTW. There is no loss of down in NCAA rules.

FG attempts are more easily blocked than punts. The kick is closer to the LOS, the kick starts out lower, and the trajectory of the kick is lower.

Then how come i never see a missed field goal (even one that comes up short) have the ball start at the 20 (as it would for a touch back)? Do teams have the option of taking it at the previous line of scrimmage on a missed field goal? I'm not trying to be an a$$, i'm just confused.

Watch more Friday night football and less Sunday afternoon football.

True, but unlike a try, if it gets blocked it can still be advanced for a 1st down if recovered behind the LOS. Granted the odds of that happening after a block are slim, but I'd be willing to take my chances if i were a coach.

BECAUSE IT'S FREAKING HARD!!!!! :eek: :mad:

I never could really get the hang of it. When kicking is all you have to do for hours a day, day after day, you start to find distractions like attempting to drop kick. For all of us kickers and punters it turned out that the long snapper was the best at it. The timing of it is huge. I could make them every once in a while from 30 or 35 but more of them shot off to the right. I even tried to punt and was the second team punter for one season but again there is a big timing issue there. When the ball is moving it is more difficult. For placekicks the ball is stationary and thus it is much easier to control the direction.

You obviously have been watching too many Sunday afternoons! If you're seeing officials do this in NF rules games, they are having that Sunday afternoon mentality also. I had a white hat in NF game a few years ago who was telling me the ball needed to go back to the original LOS and I said no, it went through the end zone (WIDE RIGHT! Sorry, couldn't resist to any Florida State fans!) therefore it's a touchback. He kept insisting it needed to go back to the LOS, which, if I remember right, was about the 30 or so. Finally, I just laid it on the 20 and he said he was going to call the assignor and say that I didn't know the rules. I gave him my infamous "I dare you" glare (ask any slow-pitch softball player in town who's seen it) and went on with my business. The assignor called me the next morning, and I told him my side. The assignor realized I was right, called the white hat back and ripped him a new one big time. That was also the last time I've seen the poor dude white hat a game.

But you can say the same of a punt (or drop kick), so why is that an advantage of place kicking?

The advantage cited of accuracy is the only general advantage of place kicking I'd grant. It's always possible that a team at a given moment has a better place kicker than punter available, and it's possible that they might want the back spin that a place kick is more likely to have, but those are exceptional situations.

Robert

Is this an NCAA rule as well??

No. For NCAA ball goes back to original line of scrimmage unless snap was from inside the 20. Then it goes to the twenty.

Pro rule, ball goes to the spot of the kick unless inside the twenty. If inside the twenty, it goes to the twenty.

High School (NFHS). Field goal is the same as a punt.

Depends on which level you are talking about. If you are watching a game on TV, it is likely to be college or pro which are different. In HS (Fed) ball, a missed FG that crosses the goal line is treated like a punt. It comes out to the 20, not the line of scrimmage.

Texas and Mass. use NCAA rules in HS in case you are seeing one of their games on TV.

That's a Sunday rule. I don't do NCAA, but I don't think that is their rule either.

Here is the NFHS rule:

Rules & Cases Directory
Football Rules Book 2006
Rule 6: Kicking the Ball and Fair Catch
Section 3: Touchback
Article 1


Art. 1... It is a touchback if any free kick or scrimmage kick:
a. Which is not a scoring attempt or which is a grounded three-point field-goal attempt, breaks the plane of R’s goal line, unless R chooses a spot of first touching by K.
b. Which is a three-point field-goal attempt, in flight touches a K player in R’s end zone, or after breaking the plane of R’s goal line is unsuccessful.

ok thanks guys!