penalty enforcement

[TXMike]

Tripping the runner is, by definition, NOT tripping, so it IS legal. Tripping anyone else is not legal which is why there is a signal. Yes in the NFL it is ILLEGAL to trip the runner. But it is not illegal in NCAA and based on what the knowledgeable guys here have said, it is not illegal in Fed either.

For Derock: I have officiated in Texas for 13 seasons. I have officiated in excess of 250 youth league games, 250 subvarsity games, over 100 varsity games, 4 college games, and probably 30 "semi-pro" games. I work mainly as a referee or back judge. I hope you do not base your opinion of an official on the number of games or number of years a guy has officiated. As I alluded to in an earlier post, there is a big difference between doing 25 games "right" and 490 games "WRONG".