False Start of Illegal Shift

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by Welpe

Rule change this year. 7-1-2-b-5 on page FR-67.

"The offensive team never coming to a one-second stop prior to the snap after the ball is ready for play."

And the reason for this rule change was so a team scrambling to the ball in the final seconds but never getting set could be guilty of a foul that stops the clock and is subject to a 10-second reduction. Both of these are directly in response to the UNC-UT bowl game last year.

The side effect is the team that breaks the huddle and then snaps the ball before the wideout gets to his position is now a dead ball false start rather than a live ball illegal shift. That's a fair trade off.