Below are my answers. I believe my answers align with the official answers from S-B, but the play clock status is still ambiguous in Q2.
1. 2/10 @ A-45. Midway through the 4th quarter, back A21 catches a swing pass at the A-42 and runs down to the B-25 and is tackled. After the ball is spotted but not yet ready for play, B55 is moving back to the line of scrimmage, looks to the sideline and then goes down injured at the B-30. Both teams have all timeouts remaining.
RULING:
A, 1/10, B-25, snap (25).
B55 ‘presented’ as injured after the ball was spotted. Per 2025 rule change, the game clock (and play clock) are interrupted for the injury, and Team B is charged with a team time-out. The time-out is administered per rule, i.e., the play clock is set to 25-seconds, and will start on the referee’s signal, and the game clock will start on the snap.
Note that the 2025 rule change only requires that the ball be ‘spotted’ for this rule to apply. It makes no reference to the ball being ready-for-play.
B55 may not participate in the next down.
2. 2/10 @ A-45. Midway through the 4th quarter, back A21 catches a swing pass at the A-42 and runs down to the B-25 and is tackled. After the ball is spotted but not yet ready for play, B55 is moving back to the line of scrimmage, looks to the sideline and then goes down injured at the B-30. Team B is out of timeouts.
RULING:
A, 1/10, B-20, ready (25).
B55 ‘presented’ as injured after the ball was spotted. Per 2025 rule change, the game clock (and play clock) are interrupted for the injury. Since Team B has no team time-out available, they have committed a foul for delay-of-game. Since the ball was not yet ready-for-play, Team A’s new series is established after the penalty is enforced from the dead-ball spot.
The play clock is ambiguous. By current rule, the play clock would be set to 25-seconds, and both clocks would be started on the Referee’s signal. However, that allows Team B to reduce the “ready” period to 25-seconds, instead of 40-seconds. The Referee could invoke rule 3-4-3, and order the play clock to be set to 40-seconds. (I would hope that the NCAA would issue a bulletin to have the play clock set to 40-seconds, at the option of the offended team, so that all NCAA officials will be consistent in administration of this new rule.)
3. 2/10 @ A-45. Midway through the 4th quarter, back A21 catches a swing pass at the A-42 and runs down to the B-25 and is tackled. After the ball is spotted, B55 crosses back to his side of the line of scrimmage, looks to the sideline and then goes down injured at the B-20 after the ball was ready for play.
RULING:
A, 1/10, B-25, snap (25).
B55 ‘presented’ as injured after the ball was spotted. Per 2025 rule change, the game clock (and play clock) are interrupted for the injury, and Team B is charged with a team time-out. The time-out is administered per rule, i.e., the play clock is set to 25-seconds, and will start on the referee’s signal, and the game clock will start on the snap.
Note that the 2025 rule change only requires that the ball be ‘spotted’ for this rule to apply. It makes no reference to the ball being ready-for-play.
B55 may not participate in the next down.
OR
A, 1/5, B-20, ready (25).
B55 ‘presented’ as injured after the ball was spotted. Per 2025 rule change, the game clock (and play clock) are interrupted for the injury. In the event that Team B does not have a time out available, Team B commits a Delay of Game foul, and is penalized 5-yards from the succeeding spot. Since the ball was, officially, ready-for-play, and the line-to-gain had been established, the penalty will yield 1/5. Because of the penalty completion, the play cock is set to 25-seconds, and both clocks will start on the referee's signal.
B55 may not participate in the next down.
Just as with Q2, the play clock is ambiguous. By current rule, the play clock would be set to 25-seconds, and the play clock would be started on the Referee’s signal. However, that allows Team B to reduce the “ready” period to 25-seconds, instead of 40-seconds. The Referee could invoke rule 3-4-3, and order the play clock to be set to 40-seconds. (I would hope that the NCAA would issue a bulletin to have the play clock set to 40-seconds, at the option of the offended team, so that all NCAA officials will be consistent in administration of this new rule.)
4. Try @ B-3. First possession series of the 4th extra period. After calling a team timeout during the 3rd extra period, Team A substitutes late in the play clock, and the Team A head coach calls timeout just before the play clock goes to zero.
RULING:
A, Try, B-8, no game clock (25).
Game officials shall ignore the request for a time-out by the Team A head coach. Team A then commits a delay-of-game foul when the play clock expires.
5. Free Kick @ A-35. While the kick is in the air, B21 gives a “T signal” thinking he will not return the kick. The ball is caught by B21 at the B-5 and the officials blow the play dead.
RULING:
B, 1/10, B-25, snap (40 and running).
By 2025 rule change, B21’s “T” signal will cause the ball to become dead. Upon completion of the catch, game officials are to sound their whistles and stop all action. Since Team B caught the ball behind their 25-yard line, Team B will be awarded a scrimmage series at the B-25. (Unless Team B attempts to advance the ball after the catch, there is no foul in the given conditions.)
6. 4/10 @ A-45. Team A sends in their punt team, and has no players numbered 50 – 79. They initially line up in a scrimmage kick formation, but before the snap, back A44 shifts to a position five yards behind the snapper in the clear path from the snapper to the potential kicker. The ball is snapped to A44 who throws a legal forward pass to end A88 who catches the ball at the B-45 and runs out of bounds at the B-40.
RULING:
A, 4/15, A-40, snap (25).
Team A commits a foul for an illegal formation when the ball is snapped from the given formation, because they do not have at least five linemen number 50-79. By 2025 rule change, when A44 moved to a position on a direct line between the snapper and the potential kicker, Team A was no longer in a scrimmage kick formation (as defined). As such, Team A must have at least five linemen numbered 50-79.
7. 1/10 @ B-25. Team A is down by 4 points and snaps the ball with 12 seconds remaining on the game clock in the 4th quarter. QB A12 can find no receiver open, scrambles outside the tackle box and throws the ball away beyond the neutral zone and the play ends with 6 seconds remaining. The defense participated with 12 players on the field.
RULING:
A, 1/5, B-20, 0:12 (4), snap (25).
A12 has legally grounded the ball to end the down.
By 2025 rule change (from a 2024 in-season Sec-Ed interpretation), when Team B commits a an illegal substitution foul for too many players on the field (with all twelve players participating and influencing the action during the down), if Team A accepts the penalty, Team A also has the option to restore the game clock to the time at snap for the previous down.
8. 1/10 @ B-25. Team A is down by 4 points and snaps the ball with 12 seconds remaining on the game clock in the 4th quarter. QB A12 can find no receiver open, scrambles outside the tackle box and throws the ball away beyond the neutral zone and the play ends with 6 seconds remaining. The defense had 12 players on the field at the snap but B21 was hustling to get off the field and the ball was snapped just before B21 exited the field.
RULING:
A, 1/5, B-20, 0:06 (4), snap (25).
A12 has legally grounded the ball to end the down.
Team B has committed an illegal substitution foul for too many players on the field. Team A will accept the 5-yard penalty at the previous spot, and the down will be repeated. Because B21 did not participate and influence the action during the down, there is no adjustment to the game clock.
