Free Kick after a Fair Catch to win a game!

[TerpZebra]

Our association had one of these last night.

The kid kicked a 60 yard free-kick through the uprights to win the game with 2.4 seconds to go.

It was the last game of the regular season, and it was one of my good friend's first time as a white hat in a Varsity game. After talking to him, sounds like they did everything correct. What a crazy way to end the season.

Here's the local article on the game: Pensacola News Journal

[football-1]

more description possible.

3rd down. "with 7.7 seconds left a deliberate spike".
so you must punt.

[Bullycon]

After the ensuing kickoff, Washington was intent on taking the game into overtime. The clock was stopped with 7.7 seconds left after a third-down play resulted in a deliberate spiking of the ball.

If they were trying to run the clock out, why spike the ball? I'm confused.

[daggo66]

Did a third grader write that newspaper article?

[voiceoflg]

Originally Posted by daggo66

Did a third grader write that newspaper article?

Nope.

Crestview 31, Washington 28

Crestview 7 7 7 10—31

Washington 7 14 7 0—27

I have a second grader, and she told me 7+14+7+0 does not equal 27. Must have been a first grader.

Wow...just wow...this reminds me of what I witnessed in a NAIA game this fall. I won't name names, but anyone who was there will know. Home Team trailing 7-3 with no timeouts remaining, clock running out. Had 3rd and 15 (or so), completes a pass, setting up a 4th and 6 at about Visitor's 40, everyone's scrambling for position because the clock is about to run down to zero. Both teams are set, and the quarterback (who's a good shotgun quarterback by the way) goes under center and....yup, you guessed it, spiked the ball, giving the Visitors the ball with just a couple seconds left on the clock. Visitors celebrating and getting their offense out to take a knee, Home looking at the quarterback in bewilderment, and Home coaches holding their heads in disbelief. It took the poor kid a moment to realize what he had done. Bizarre ending.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

Wow...just wow...this reminds me of what I witnessed in a NAIA game this fall. I won't name names, but anyone who was there will know. Home Team trailing 7-3 with no timeouts remaining, clock running out. Had 3rd and 15 (or so), completes a pass, setting up a 4th and 6 at about Visitor's 40, everyone's scrambling for position because the clock is about to run down to zero. Both teams are set, and the quarterback (who's a good shotgun quarterback by the way) goes under center and....yup, you guessed it, spiked the ball, giving the Visitors the ball with just a couple seconds left on the clock. Visitors celebrating and getting their offense out to take a knee, Home looking at the quarterback in bewilderment, and Home coaches holding their heads in disbelief. It took the poor kid a moment to realize what he had done. Bizarre ending.

Sucker. Everyone learns a hard lesson in their lives about paying attention to detail.

[ODJ]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

Wow...just wow...this reminds me of what I witnessed in a NAIA game this fall. I won't name names, but anyone who was there will know. Home Team trailing 7-3 with no timeouts remaining, clock running out. Had 3rd and 15 (or so), completes a pass, setting up a 4th and 6 at about Visitor's 40, everyone's scrambling for position because the clock is about to run down to zero. Both teams are set, and the quarterback (who's a good shotgun quarterback by the way) goes under center and....yup, you guessed it, spiked the ball, giving the Visitors the ball with just a couple seconds left on the clock. Visitors celebrating and getting their offense out to take a knee, Home looking at the quarterback in bewilderment, and Home coaches holding their heads in disbelief. It took the poor kid a moment to realize what he had done. Bizarre ending.

We had that this year too.

[ODJ]

Originally Posted by Bullycon

If they were trying to run the clock out, why spike the ball? I'm confused.

Yeah. Dumb coaching.

[Sonofanump]

Did not know that the NFL requires the ball to be kicked off of the ground.

Arizona tried one today. It has been 40 years since one has been made.

[GPC2]

I saw that too, but I was wondering why Rackers (the Arizona kicker) kicked the ball like a kickoff rather than a field goal. Seems to me like the timing would be a bit off (of course I say that with my exactly ZERO games of kicking experienc in my life).

[football-1]

Originally Posted by GPC2

I saw that too, but I was wondering why Rackers (the Arizona kicker) kicked the ball like a kickoff rather than a field goal. Seems to me like the timing would be a bit off (of course I say that with my exactly ZERO games of kicking experienc in my life).

it was a 68y! try = 5 yards over nfl record

only chance for him was to hit the ball as hard as he could. that was the result.
i think it was only a gimmick by ken whisenhunt. not really a try for points.

[falsecut]

According to the rule book on line: If time expires while ball is in play and a fair catch is awarded, receiving team may choose to extend the period with one fair catch kick down. However, placekicker may not use tee.

So you could do this at the end of the period as an untimed down which is different.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Sonofanump

Did not know that the NFL requires the ball to be kicked off of the ground.

Arizona tried one today. It has been 40 years since one has been made.

Another "gotcha" is that NFL for about the past 25 yrs. has treated it as a missed FG attempt if team R doesn't touch the ball. Not sure what happens if K is first to touch it beyond the neutral zone and then R touches it. K's touching is legal, but if R doesn't touch it they get to snap it from the previous spot, regardless of whose possession the kick ends in. If there's enough time on the clock, sometimes K's formation consists of a huddle in some corner, to avoid contact with the ball.

Attempts were more attractive for several decades before 1974 when the goals were on the goal line and play continued as for other free kicks. For several years after the "missed field goal" rule, it didn't apply to free kicks.

Rugby Union abolished scoring a goal from a fair catch free kick about 1972; before that it was fairly common.

Robert

[Texas Aggie]

What are the mechanics for, say, a 5 man crew for this?