Quiz 005 — Kicks, Passes, Enforcement Spots and Overtime
- Source
- 2025 NFHS Football Rules Book + Case Book (Rules 5, 6, 7, 10, Resolving Tied Games)
- Level
- Expert
- Questions
- 10
- Scope
- 11-player football. Overtime questions assume the state has adopted the NFHS Resolving Tied Games procedure exactly as printed.
Questions
1. Beyond, back, and gone
A scrimmage kick by K1 is partially blocked in the neutral zone by R1. The kick travels beyond the neutral zone, where R2 muffs it back behind the neutral zone. K2 recovers behind the neutral zone and advances across R's goal line. Ruling?
2. The wave that costs a series
Fourth and 5 for K from its own 9. K1's punt is very high and very short but does go beyond the expanded neutral zone. R1 gives an invalid fair-catch signal at K's 20. The untouched kick hits the ground, rebounds behind the neutral zone, and K1 recovers and is downed at K's 10. What are K's options, and what is the result if K accepts?
3. Neither fish nor fowl
At the snap, A1 is in a position that is neither on the line of scrimmage nor clearly in the backfield: neither his head nor his foot breaks the plane through the snapper's waist, and he is penetrating the plane through the waist of his nearest teammate, end A2, who is clearly on the line. A1 is positioned inside A2. At the snap both A1 and A2 go downfield and A1 catches the pass. How many fouls, and who chooses?
4. Spike denied
Quarterback A1 is directly behind the snapper with the clock running late in the half. (a) A1 muffs the snap, takes the ball from the ground and spikes it forward; or (b) A1 receives the snap, but his forward spike attempt hits snapper A2's leg and ricochets into the air — A1 catches it and immediately spikes it forward. Legal spike or foul in each, and what is the operative requirement?
5. He came back, but too late
At the snap, interior lineman A1 moves about 3 yards downfield, finds nobody to block, and retreats behind the neutral zone, where he blocks for A2 — who then throws a forward pass that crosses the neutral zone. Ruling, and at what moment does the restriction attach?
6. Chains last
Fourth and 2 on B's 25. A1 is tackled at B's 26, short of the line to gain, and B2 then piles on. What is the correct sequence of administration, and what is the resulting down, distance and spot?
7. Six yards apart, twenty yards of difference
A1 throws a pass. In (a), B1 intercepts in B's end zone; in (b), B1 intercepts at B's 6-yard line and retreats into his own end zone. In both, while in the end zone B1 is grabbed by the face mask and twisted by A2, and B1 then fumbles in the end zone, the ball rolling back into the field of play where B7 recovers at B's 5. If B accepts the penalty, what is the basic spot and the final spot in each?
8. Order of operations
Third and 10 from B's 40. A1 runs out of bounds at B's 35. After A1 is out of bounds, B1 charges into A1, knocking him to the ground. A2 retaliates by shoving B1. B1 then swears at A2. A's head coach then swears at the wing official — (a) before the referee has determined the appropriate enforcement, or (b) after the referee is giving his signals and the umpire has begun marking off. Final result in each?
9. The punch between periods
The regulation game ends tied 7-7 and it was announced pregame that the recommended tie-breaking procedure would be used. Immediately after the last down of the fourth period, A1 strikes B1. What happens to A1, and from what yard line does the first overtime series start?
10. Roughed on the try that counted
During the first overtime period, A elects to go on offense first and scores a touchdown on the third play of its series. During the successful kick try, B1 roughs the holder. A accepts the successful kick try. From where does Team B begin its overtime series?
Answer Key
1. Touchdown for K. The kickers' right to advance a recovered scrimmage kick depends entirely on where the recovery occurs — in, behind, or beyond the neutral zone. That the kick had already gone beyond the neutral zone and rebounded back is of no consequence; K2 recovered behind the neutral zone, so K may advance. Case 6.2.3 SIT A; Rules 6-2-3, 6-2-4
2. This is a post-scrimmage kick foul and the ball belongs to R by rule. If K accepts the penalty for R's invalid signal, it is R's ball, first and 10, on K's 25 — the kick ended at K's 10, which is the post-scrimmage kick spot. The invalid signal is a foul by R during the kick, so PSK enforcement governs and K cannot keep the ball it recovered. Case 6.5.7 SIT A; Rules 2-16-2h, 2-41-6, 6-5-7, 10-4-3
3. A multiple foul — B chooses which penalty to accept. A1's position is illegal at the snap. Because he was not clearly a back, he is an ineligible receiver; his advance beyond the neutral zone is therefore illegal (ineligible downfield), and his catch is illegal touching. The two penalties differ, so the referee must explain both options clearly. Case 7.2.3 SIT B; Rules 7-2-3, 7-5-6a, 7-5-13
4. Illegal forward pass in both (a) and (b). The grounding exception requires a direct snap — the ball must go immediately from the snapper to the player in position to take it without being muffed, fumbled or otherwise mishandled. In (a) the ball touched the ground, which ends the exception outright; in (b) it never touched the ground but was mishandled off A2's leg, which is equally fatal. Case 7.5.2 SIT B; Rule 7-5-2d EXCEPTION 1
5. A1 is an ineligible illegally downfield — a foul. The prohibition against ineligibles being downfield starts at the snap, and the fact that A1 had returned behind the neutral zone before the pass was thrown has no bearing on the ruling. Ineligible A players may advance into the expanded neutral zone during a down in which a legal forward pass is thrown, but not beyond it. Case 7.5.12 SIT A; Rules 2-28-2, 7-5-12
6. Change of possession is signaled first, then the dead-ball penalty is administered, and only then is the line-to-gain equipment set — first and 10 for B from its own 13. A failed to reach the line to gain on fourth down, so B takes over at B's 26 automatically. B2's dead-ball foul is against the team that just gained possession, and 15 yards exceeds half the distance to B's goal, so the ball goes to B's 13. Case 5.1.2 SIT E; Rules 5-1-2, 10-4-5b
7. (a) Basic spot is the 20-yard line — first and 10 for B at its own 35. (b) Basic spot is the goal line — first and 10 for B at its own 15. The difference is entirely where the interception occurred: possession gained in the end zone puts the basic spot at the 20, while possession gained in the field of play followed by a retreat into the end zone makes the goal line the end of the run. Twenty yards of field position turn on six yards of interception spot. Cases 10.4.6 SIT A and 10.4.7 SITUATION; Rules 10-4-6, 10-4-7
8. (a) Fourth and 5 from B's 35. (b) First and 10 for Team A at B's 35. In (a) the coach's foul arrived before enforcement was determined, so A's two fouls offset B's two fouls and nothing is marked off. In (b) enforcement had already been determined with two B fouls against one A foul — one B foul survives, marked off 15 yards to B's 20 for a first down — and the coach's later foul is then enforced separately, 15 yards back to B's 35. Case 10.2.5 SIT F; Rules 10-2-5b, 10-2-5c, 10-4-4
9. A1 is disqualified for fighting and may not participate in the overtime; the penalty is enforced from the succeeding spot, which is wherever the first overtime series begins. Which yard line that is depends on the coin toss: if B is first to put the ball in play, B starts from the 5 (half the distance from the 10); if A is first to put the ball in play, A starts from the 25. The referee should explain this at the overtime coin toss, because it changes the value of the options. Resolving Tied Games 3.1.1 SIT J; Rules 2-11, 9-4-1, 10-4-5
10. Team B begins its overtime series first and goal from the 25-yard line. Because A accepted the result of the play — the successful try — the roughing penalty is enforced from the succeeding spot, and in overtime the succeeding spot is the opponent's series. B is pushed back 15 yards from the 10. Resolving Tied Games 3.1.1 SIT O; Rules 9-4-5, 10-5-2