Two Plays From Today

[JRutledge]

Determining the Enforcement Spot and the Basic Spot

ARTICLE 2.

a. Dead-ball fouls. The enforcement spot for a foul committed when the ball is dead is the succeeding spot.

b. Fouls by the offensive team behind the neutral zone. For the following fouls committed by the offensive team behind the neutral zone, the penalty is enforced at the previous spot: illegal use of hands, holding, illegal block and personal fouls (Exception: If the foul occurs in Team A’s end zone the penalty is a safety.). However, see Rule 6-3-13 for offensive team fouls during scrimmage kick plays.

c. The Three-and-One Principle (Rule 2-33) is as follows:
1. When the team in possession commits a foul behind the basic spot, the penalty is enforced at the spot of the foul.
2. When the team in possession commits a foul beyond the basic spot, the penalty is enforced at the basic spot.
3. When the team not in possession commits a foul either behind or beyond the basic spot, the penalty is enforced at the basic spot.
d. The following are basic spots for the various categories of plays:
1. Running plays.
(a) Previous spot, when the related run ends behind the neutral zone.
(b) End of the related run, when the related run ends beyond the neutral zone.
(c) End of the related run, on running plays that have no neutral zone. 2 Running plays when the run ends in the end zone after change of team
possession (not on a try).
(a) 20-yard line, when a foul occurs after a change of team possession in
the end zone and the result of the play is a touchback.
(b) Goal line, when a foul occurs after a change of team possession in the field of play and the related run ends in the end zone. (Exception: Rule 8-5-1-Exceptions.)
(c) Goal line, when a foul occurs after a change of team possession in the end zone, the related run ends in the end zone, and the result of the play is not a touchback.
3. Pass plays.
Previous spot, on legal forward pass plays.
4. Kick plays.
(a) Previous spot, on legal kick plays unless the foul is governed by
postscrimmage kick rules.
(b) Postscrimmage kick spot, if the foul is governed by postscrimmage kick rules.

I hope this gives a better picture Bob for you.

Peace

[Texas Aggie]

why is it an exception?

The NCAA has gone back and forth on this. I don't know about what the original rule was, but at some point, holding WAS a previous spot enforcement like it is now, then in the early '90s, I believe, it went to a spot foul enforcement if behind the NZ by Team A. At some point they changed it back. I think the thought was that 10 yards from the spot of a foul that is almost always behind the neutral zone is a bit too much -- Team A might hold 6, 8, even 10 yards behind. Then you have plays like 3rd and 30!

[bisonlj]

A good guideline I've heard is fouls against a player will be enforced from the previous spot and fouls against the ball will be enforced from the spot of the foul (all assuming passing or kicking play from behind the NZ or when the run ends behind the NZ.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

The NCAA has gone back and forth on this. I don't know about what the original rule was, but at some point, holding WAS a previous spot enforcement like it is now, then in the early '90s, I believe, it went to a spot foul enforcement if behind the NZ by Team A. At some point they changed it back. I think the thought was that 10 yards from the spot of a foul that is almost always behind the neutral zone is a bit too much -- Team A might hold 6, 8, even 10 yards behind. Then you have plays like 3rd and 30!

The original rule was 3-and-1 enforcement, no exception. And if you think they thought 10 yds. from the spot was a bit too much, consider that for many yrs. it was 15 yds. (both ways). NFL led in the 1970s with the reduction of the offensive penalty to 10 yds. (they already had 5 yds. from the previous spot for the defense) after previously changing to previous spot when the foul occurred behind there on a pass play. It had been 10 yds. a long way back, but NCAA thought they were really accomplishing something in simplif'n when they eliminated 10 yd. penalties so that all distance penalties became 5 or 15.