Having watched some UIL Championship games, let me address one item right now.
With charged team time outs, whether UIL or NCAA, we DO NOT need to announce the length of a default time out. For UIL football, the default length of a charged team time out is one minute, even in televised Championship games. So that announcement should simply be:
"Time Out (with S3), Coronado. This is their first charged time out of the second half."
Nothing more. I heard some R's announcing, "...This time out is 60-seconds in length." Arrrrgggggh. No. But I know where they are getting that. In NCAA televised games, the default length is 30-seconds. However, they can request to extend one of their time outs per half to 60 seconds, in which case, yeah, the R needs to make that announcement. But we don't have that in UIL football. So, we would never make an announcement about a 60-second time out.
Now, by rule, any timeout that a team requests may be reduced to 30-seconds, at the option of that team. In that case, yes, the referee should make that announcement:
"Time Out (with S3), Coronado. Coronado has requested this time out to be 30 seconds in length." This would be accompanied by the Referee touching his shoulders with the fingertips of both hands.
Since that rule has been in place, I had a few NCAA coaches request a 30-second T/O, but, since I returned to UIL football, I've never even heard of a UIL coach requesting a 30-second time out. I'm sure it has happened, but it is RARE.
In televised games, if TV takes a unilateral time out, or uses a charged team time out or injury time out to sell some more beer, the Referee should be checking with the media liaison ("red hat") before he finishes the announcement of the charged time out or injury time out, and, if the liaison indicates that they want to extend the time out, he would then add the announcement:
"Media time out (with S4)."
Now, some years ago, the TV folks objected to the language of "TV time out," and even, "Media time out." That made them the 'bad guy' for games lasting so long, and they didn't like that. So, we were directed to not use those two announcements, but, instead, to announce, "Time out on the field." However, in recent times, I have noticed in many NCAA games, they are using "Media time out." So, for UIL, I would definitely use "Media time out." Which might sound something like this for a charged team time out:
"Time out (with S3), Coronado. This is their first charged time out of the first half. Media time out (with S4)."
For a unilateral media time out (like following a punt), the announcement would be simply:
"Media time out (with S4)."
Don't just do what you see on Saturdays and Sundays, without verifying with TASO if whatever it is, is appropriate for UIL football.
