time it takes to spike the ball.

[OSU65]

Two seconds on the clock left in the half. Ball snapped, QB retreats a couple of steps, hesitates briefly and spikes the ball. Ruling is that there is 1 second on the clock. Assuming the clock keeps track of tenths of a second there could have been 2.9 seconds on the clock to start with. After the spike with 1 second remaining on the clock it could have been as low as 0.1 seconds. The max time left in the half could have been as much as 2.8 seconds

I found this rule that might have been approved in 2013. "To establish three seconds as the minimum amount of time required to be on the game clock in order to spike the ball to stop the clock. If one or two seconds remain on the clock, there is only time for the offense to run one more play."

As I recall I saw the same situation earlier in the season and recall hearing the explanation pointing out the 3 second rule.

Apparently the rule was changed at some point. If the rule is still in the book then it would appear that the half should have been over when the ball was spiked.

Has the rule changed? Is the time the clock started reviewable?

[OSU65]

Correction. The player took a knee so I guess the spiking rule could still be in the rule book although I have yet to find it.
How could it take three seconds to spike a ball but a second to take the snap, take two steps backward, hesitate then take a knee?

[OSU65]

Link to play in question. Have to scroll down for the live video.

https://thespun.com/more/top-stories/penn-state-ohio-state-play-clock-error-first-half-ending#:~:text=At%20the%20end%20of%20the,kneel%20with%20one%20second%20remaining.

[ElvisLives]

Not sure how you could miss it. 3-2-5. Bold heading: "Minimum Time For A Play After Spiking The Ball"
If the clock is stopped, and sitting at less than 3 seconds, then a snap and then spike of the ball will result in the game clock expiring - by rule. You may think 2.9999... seconds is more than enough time to snap and spike the ball, for another down. Barking up the wrong tree. Petition David Shaw at Stanford - he is the chair of the Rules Committee.
There is no similar rule regarding taking a knee. So, if there is still one second on the game clock when the knee hits the ground, then there is still one second to play.
Two things: 1) By rule, the game clock may not display 10ths of second.  2) When a game clock shows a whole number, that means the amount of time remaining is somewhere between that number, and the next higher whole number. So, if the game clock shows 2 seconds, it could be as much as 2.999999...seconds remaining.  If the game clock is started consistently, then there could be nearly a second of time expire before the display changes. So, it might appear to start "late," but, in fact start exactly appropriately.

Those things being the case, it is completely within reason that the QB in this case took less than 1.99999... seconds to take a knee, leaving one full second+ on the game clock.

The lesson here is that the QB should have been coached to keep his eye on the clock, and not take a knee until he sees a zero on the clock. He didn't, and they paid the price.

[OSU65]

Thx for ur excellent explanation.

[bossman72]

2) When a game clock shows a whole number, that means the amount of time remaining is somewhere between that number, and the next higher whole number. So, if the game clock shows 2 seconds, it could be as much as 2.999999...seconds remaining.

This is incorrect.  It's actually the opposite - it rounds down.

If your theory was true, then when the clock hits 0:00, then there could actually be 0:00.9 seconds on the clock, which wouldn't make any sense.

So if the clock shows 0:02, then the real time could be between 0:01.1 and 0:01.9.
If the clock shows 0:01, then it's between 0:00.1 and 0:00.9
If the clock shows 0:00, then it's 0:00.

[ElvisLives]

That was the reason they developed game clocks that could count down in tenths, specifically for basketball. Before that, the display would go to zero, but the horn/buzzer wouldn’t sound for another second, which actually meant that time had expired. Officials had to listen for the sound to rule whether or not a player released his shot before or after the buzzer, hence the term “buzzer beater.”
When a digital clock is set to some number, like 15:00 (minutes) and started, instantly the display changes to 14:59, until one full second elapses, then it changes to 14:48, etc. When it get less than one second, and it can display 10ths, it will display 0:00:9, etc. If it can not display 10ths, then it goes to 0:00, and any horn/buzzer will sound after one full second elapses. For football, the NCAA rules makers decided that such precision isn’t desirable, so, by rule, clocks are not permitted to display 10ths.