2017 Study Guide

[GA Umpire]

Back to football., already.

The case below is from the GHSA 2017 Study Guide.  It is implied that only one statement is false.
I believe "A" and "C" are both false.  Am I missing something?


Team A 1/10 from the A40 yard line. A88 and A99  are wide outs in the formation with A88 the widest and on the LOS. 
At the snap, A88 is covering up A99 who is the inside receiver also on LOS. A99 at the snap turns and faces the passer
without leaving his position on the LOS.
A forward pass is thrown which tips off the hands of A99 and then goes out of bounds.

Which statement is FALSE:

A. A99 is guilty of being ineligible downfield.
B. A99 is guilty of illegal touching.
C. If B accepts the penalty for illegal touching, Team A will have 2/10 from the A35 yard line
D. If B accepts the penalty for illegal touching, Team A will have 2/15 from the A35 yard line

[AlUpstateNY]

Since A-99, did not go downfield, he is not guilty of being ineligibly downfield, however because he was covered by A-88, he is simply an ineligible receiver, and his touching of a forward pass is a foul for Illegal touching (NFHS 7-5-13) for which the penalty is a loss of 5 yards and LOD.  So B and D are correct.

c didn't charge the 5 yard portion of the penalty

[riffraft]

I am guessing they are nitpicky and a team can always accept a penalty for a foul, but not have the yardage enforced. Therefore 2/10 with an acceptance of the penalty could "technically" be true

[ncwingman]

I am guessing they are nitpicky and a team can always accept a penalty for a foul, but not have the yardage enforced. Therefore 2/10 with an acceptance of the penalty could "technically" be true

If that were the selected option, the next play would be 2/10 from the A40, not the A35 -- the penalty can't move the line to gain (excepting a first down).

[Ralph Damren]

"....that's the night the lights went out in Georgia !" I agree, A & C both are false statements. While a team could decline the yardage portion of a penalty, they can't reset the stakes !

[ncwingman]

I feel like this has been discussed ad nauseum, so forgive me for potentially beating a deceased equine... You can accept the penalty but decline the yardage to replay the previous down from the same spot. You can decline the entire penalty and accept the results of the play.

However, if the foul comes with loss of down, can you decline the loss of down independently from the yardage? In this scenario, the next play would be 1/15 from the A35 if we accept the 5 yard penalty but decline the LOD. Rules seem to suggest no, as it very specifically says "the yardage" may be declined.

I'm also not coming up with any scenarios where this might be advantageous, thereby making it fairly moot.

[Ralph Damren]

I have never seen declining the LOD portion of the foul discussed but I have the AFD portion of other fouls. It was on the docket a few years ago with the following supported play :

  (1) 1/10 A , A holds @ LOS = 1/20 A;
  (2) RTP on incomplete pass = 1/10 A after penalty;
  (3) W/O AFD it would be 1/5.

This was soundly defeated by the rationale of complexity this could bring. While the above situation seems easy, consider : "Do you want 1/10 or 2/3...or 3/2...or 4/1...". Let's not make Rule 10 more complicated than it already is.

[riffraft]

If that were the selected option, the next play would be 2/10 from the A40, not the A35 -- the penalty can't move the line to gain (excepting a first down).

That will teach me to read it closer. Didn't know the change to the line of scrimmage.

[KWH]

A and C are False.
B and D are True.

[Ralph Damren]

A and C are False.
B and D are True.

A+