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Football Officiating => Texas Topics => Topic started by: dammitbobby on October 29, 2021, 11:33:22 AM
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6 man game. Team A starts with 6 players, one goes down for injury, so down to 5. The rules are clear that he game cannot continue if a team only has 4 players.
Scenario 1: Team A player gets a cramp, it's obvious it's a cramp, and goes down. There is no way to buy him back with a TO, even though both teams/coaches wish to continue playing so the game is suspended.
Scenario 2: Team A player has helmet come off for non-foul related reasons, and Team A is out of TO. Is there a way to get around having to suspend the game?
Had somewhat similar scenario for A come up a few weeks ago, we couldn't think of a way to continue play.
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By rule, you can’t continue. But I think this is a situation that needs to be clarified by TASO/UIL. The 5 player rule is there to prevent a team from being outmanned and overpowered. It’s supposed to be for teams that would have to play the rest of the game or at least a large portion of the game with less than 5. In my opinion, if it’s for one play like a helmet coming off, they should be able to play one down 6 on 4 and continue the game. Even for something like a cramp, let them stretch it out for a down or two and then keep going.
But that’s just my opinion. We probably need a UIL/TASO ruling for this situation.
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The rules actually say start with six but may play with 5 or 4, but less than 4 the game should be suspended. Not sure how strict the word "should" is, but it's certainly not the same as "must".
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Shoot, you’re right Jason. But either way, the same theory applies. If it’s just one or two plays, a team should be able to continue.