The Pigskin
Page
2014 Pre-Season Clips (1)
TECHNICAL NOTE: For those not aware, when viewing these videos in the You Tube window, you can adjust the resolution for a sharper view. Notice in the lower right hand corner of the video player window a setting icon that looks like a gear. Click on that and you can adjust the setting up to 360p, 480p or even 720p in some cases. This will give you a sharper image.
The video page will continue bringing you clips which are good learning material as we all work together to understand and enforce the sometimes complicated NCAA football rules. The videos are not meant to demean or belittle any official. They are used so that ALL officials can learn from the situations and issues other officials encounter in their games. No official has ever completed a career error-free. But by sharing our errors with others we help them avoid the same pitfalls. NCAA football officials at all levels exhibit incredible rule knowledge week in and week out. We can always get better and this page hopes to serve in that effort.
When a passer is trying to throw the ball away while under duress, he can avoid committing an intentional grounding foul if he meets 2 conditions: 1 – He gets himself outside the tackle box AND 2 – he throws the pass such that it crosses or lands beyond the neutral zone. The passer in this play satisfied the first requirement but not the second. Even if he cannot meet BOTH these conditions, he does not foul if he “throws the ball into an area where there is an eligible Team A player.” While that area has been very, very, very liberally defined in recent years , in this video play, the only teammates of the passer in the same zip code as where the ball landed were those fellows in the team area. Another issue on this play is whether the pass is forward or backward. If a passer is holding the ball to throw it forward and begins to pass it forward before he (or the ball) is contacted by a Team B player, a forward pass is ruled regardless of where the ball lands. In this play, Team B was already in contact with the passer before forward arm movement began. If the crew had ruled this a backward pass, then there would be no foul for intentional grounding as that foul requires there to be a forward pass. (As usual, the commentator is mistaken on the rule) Would you judge the passer in this play to have committed intentional grounding? Please view this play video and take the poll. (Please remember to scroll down and click on the DONE button after making your choice.)
Defensive
holding is a foul that is infrequently seen and even less frequently flagged.
Defensive linemen trying to prevent offensive linemen from moving to block line
backers will hold the releasing blocker at times. Good job to recognize the act
here . It had no effect on the play but the umpire had no way of knowing that
when he launched the hankie. Many players, fans , and coaches believe the
defense cannot be flagged for holding but this play proves that Is not true.
False Start of the 2d
Variety
There are two type of false starts. The
common variety is when a Team A player makes some pre-snap movement that
simulates the start of the play. However a few years ago a second variety was
added. When Team A never comes to complete stop for at least 1 second before the
snap, this is also a false start. It is also an illegal shift but the rule says
to call this action a false start and shut everything down. The action in this
video was clearly a false start of the 2d variety.
Inbounds vs Out-Of-Bounds
The wide receiver in this play stepped out
of bounds on his own. He stepped back in bounds with one foot before touching
and subsequently catching the pass. The other foot was in the air at the moment
the pass was touched. Since he has a body part in bounds and no body part
touching out-of-of-bounds, the receiver has re-established himself inbounds,
although he is still ineligible to touch the pass. He fouls by touching the pass
but the pass is not immediately declared incomplete as it would have been had he
not managed to get re-established inbounds.