Double Foul

[Ed Hickland]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

Hmm. This is an interesting play. We (using NCAA rules) usually put as many cheap shot, behind the play, personal fouls in the dead ball category on scoring runs -- or even just long plays -- as possible. I said scoring runs since they usually happen on those sorts of plays. Anyway, often the contact is technically while the ball is still alive but if its 20 yards downfield (from the back), its a dead ball foul and will be enforced as such. I or my crew called this maybe half a dozen times last year and didn't hear anything from the coaches on it, as the hit was clearly indefensible and they were probably *****ing out their player.

On this play, we have to bring the TD or long run back and it is going to be a fact specific decision as to whether to offset or enforce both. How bad was the hit? Where in relation to the play was it? What down was it? I know some will have a problem with this and if you do, then there is nothing wrong with you offsetting the penalties. Where I work, in both HS and college, we'd take a little more detailed look into the play.

That is an interesting penalty enforcement by making the contact foul a dead ball foul it changes the whole dynamic versus enforcing the fouls as written, that is, two live ball fouls. As written, B has a choice of fouls; per the alternate B can get the effect of both fouls.