Saw this in a game last Saturday.
QB, in shotgun, bobbles and then drops the snap. He then dives onto the ground onto the ball. Defensive man comes in and hits him on the ground. Obviously, this was a dead ball personal foul and it was called as such.
Question: Is this an automatic first down?
This was a half the distance penalty where the yardage was NOT enough for a first down. Referee awarded automatic first down.