Field Goal and the clock

[dieter]

I searched back as far as I could and didn't see a specific post on this topic, so here goes.

End of the first half, 2.4 seconds on the clock (I would like to avoid the tenths on the clock topic). Team A makes a 25 yard field goal. After signaling good, the clock shows 0.3 seconds.

How would you handle this?
1) End of half. No field goal takes less than 2.4 seconds.
2) Go with what the clock says.
3) If Team A is the home team, it is their clock operator and therefore we will have a kickoff. If Team B is the home team, end of half as it is obvious the home clock operator is trying to get his team a potential kickoff return.

If you choose #1, do you have a minimum time that even the shortest field goal takes? I believe a college philosophy is that no field goal should take longer than 5 seconds.
Does your answer change if this occurs in the 4th quarter?
Does the score have anything to do with your answer?

Thanks.

[Ralph Damren]

The official game clock is the official game clock, if it was shut off when the kick was signaled good, then you have0:00.3 seconds left. From personal experience this can easily occur. I run the game clock at a NCAA school and as the visitors were driving away the scoreboard/clock , threw an incomplete pass. I promptly stopped the clock AT 0:00.5 " .Another pass fell incomplete and halftime arrived. Meeting with the officials at halftime they inquired : "What the heck were you doing? " My job, I was watching you guys and the pass and NOT looking over my shoulder at the clock." Back the clock operator's duty was to bring the Penalty Report to each coach in post game. The home coach (his team won) responded : "You are %$#@ing lucky that last pass in the first half fell incomplete "  I responded the same as I did at halftime. The following year there was game clocks at each end.

If the clock was never run during the field goal, the crew could conference and run the remaining time off but to randomly state that the play must have taken longer may take you down a slippery slope. If you had an incomplete pass or OOB play with similar timing, would you decide that the play might have ran longer?

[dieter]

I will add that in my area the clock operators are home team provided. Unfortunately we have occasionally had to deal with unscrupulous clock operators who operate the clock differently depending on who has the ball and game situations. For this reason (among others) usually someone on the crew keeps the time as well.

[FLAHL]

Our clock operator is part of our crew, and has a radio and ear-piece.  I have occasionally reminded her prior to punts or field goals at the end of the half that it is frowned upon to stop the clock with 0.5 seconds on it. 

[prab]

The official game clock is the official game clock, if it was shut off when the kick was signaled good, then you have0:00.3 seconds left. From personal experience this can easily occur. I run the game clock at a NCAA school and as the visitors were driving away the scoreboard/clock , threw an incomplete pass. I promptly stopped the clock AT 0:00.5 " .Another pass fell incomplete and halftime arrived. Meeting with the officials at halftime they inquired : "What the heck were you doing? " My job, I was watching you guys and the pass and NOT looking over my shoulder at the clock." Back the clock operator's duty was to bring the Penalty Report to each coach in post game. The home coach (his team won) responded : "You are %$#@ing lucky that last pass in the first half fell incomplete "  I responded the same as I did at halftime. The following year there was game clocks at each end.

If the clock was never run during the field goal, the crew could conference and run the remaining time off but to randomly state that the play must have taken longer may take you down a slippery slope. If you had an incomplete pass or OOB play with similar timing, would you decide that the play might have ran longer?

It seems to me that the introduction of a tenths of a second feature to FB clocks came about more because it became technologically feasible than because there was any good reason to do so.

[bossman72]

I searched back as far as I could and didn't see a specific post on this topic, so here goes.

End of the first half, 2.4 seconds on the clock (I would like to avoid the tenths on the clock topic). Team A makes a 25 yard field goal. After signaling good, the clock shows 0.3 seconds.

How would you handle this?
1) End of half. No field goal takes less than 2.4 seconds.
2) Go with what the clock says.
3) If Team A is the home team, it is their clock operator and therefore we will have a kickoff. If Team B is the home team, end of half as it is obvious the home clock operator is trying to get his team a potential kickoff return.

If you choose #1, do you have a minimum time that even the shortest field goal takes? I believe a college philosophy is that no field goal should take longer than 5 seconds.
Does your answer change if this occurs in the 4th quarter?
Does the score have anything to do with your answer?

Thanks.

A clock with tenths is always rounded up.  So if the clock shows 0:00.3, then it's 0:01 on a normal clock.  So, do whatever you would do for 0:01.

If at all possible, they should shut off the tenths so this doesn't happen.

[Morningrise]

If at all possible, they should shut off the tenths so this doesn't happen.

What, no horns either?

[refjeff]

The scoreboard is the official time. 

There is no automatic runoff.

Keep it simple, don't go looking for trouble.

[dieter]

Thanks everyone for their responses. My only thought is that I would assume everyone has a time in mind that would require them to take action and correct this obvious timing error. If there was 1.0 second left on the clock before the field goal and 0.3 left after the field goal, I would assume everyone would take action and end the half. I have learned here that my line is most likely higher than most others.

[TampaSteve]

To echo Boss. Turn off the tenths - if you can.
Personal experience: if the clock is newfangled enough to have tenths, you can turn the tenths off. - of course everyplace is different.