Time Remaining

[JasonTX]

At a recent game and I am the R.  4th and 10 at the B-30.  Team A attempts a FG that sails wide right.  The clock operator stops the clock with 0.4 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter.  I declared the half over due to the clock not supposed to read tenths of seconds.  I told the coach it's either 0 or 1.  0.4 becomes 0.  He didn't complain.  Your thoughts?

[ElvisLives]

Probably a good solution to a problem that shouldn’t exist. All you can do is put that in your game report and hope your super tries to get this fixed through the conference office. Don’t hold your breath. But wait until you end the game and Team A was behind by 2, and in easy field goal range. The poop will hit the fan.

[JasonTX]

Just got a reply from Steve Shaw on this.

As per rule 3-2-4-a, the game clock shall not display tenths of seconds.  This should be corrected in the pregame if we see the tenths of seconds displayed – and is a simple software setting in the clock system.  The reason behind this is that we don’t want players and officials having to interpolate end of game situations like the minimum time required to spike a ball etc.

 

As per the convention of the clocks, if tenths of seconds are not displayed, the clock will go to 0:00 when there is truly no time remaining.  So, if the tenths of a second clock displays 0.9, the game clock still displays 0:01.  It is still at 0:01 when the tenths would be at 0.1.  Likewise, when the clock displays 0:03, internal timing and tenths of a second would display 2.9 down through 2.1.  This would be confusing to the QB and officials as to the allowance of spiking the ball.

 

The bottom line is to get the clock corrected before we start, and certainly before we get to the 2nd or 4th quarters.  In your question, if the clock in tenths displayed 0.4, the proper clock would display 0:01, and stay at 0:01through the display of 0.1 in tenths.  When the tenths went to 0.0 the normal clock would display 0:00.

 

Steve Shaw

CFO National Coordinator of Football Officials

Secretary-Rules Editor, NCAA Football Rules Committee

[ElvisLives]

Just got a reply from Steve Shaw on this.

As per rule 3-2-4-a, the game clock shall not display tenths of seconds.  This should be corrected in the pregame if we see the tenths of seconds displayed – and is a simple software setting in the clock system.  The reason behind this is that we don’t want players and officials having to interpolate end of game situations like the minimum time required to spike a ball etc.

 

As per the convention of the clocks, if tenths of seconds are not displayed, the clock will go to 0:00 when there is truly no time remaining.  So, if the tenths of a second clock displays 0.9, the game clock still displays 0:01.  It is still at 0:01 when the tenths would be at 0.1.  Likewise, when the clock displays 0:03, internal timing and tenths of a second would display 2.9 down through 2.1.  This would be confusing to the QB and officials as to the allowance of spiking the ball.

 

The bottom line is to get the clock corrected before we start, and certainly before we get to the 2nd or 4th quarters.  In your question, if the clock in tenths displayed 0.4, the proper clock would display 0:01, and stay at 0:01through the display of 0.1 in tenths.  When the tenths went to 0.0 the normal clock would display 0:00.

 

Steve Shaw

CFO National Coordinator of Football Officials

Secretary-Rules Editor, NCAA Football Rules Committee

Never had a problem at NCAA sites. But, at non-NCAA sites using NCAA rules, when asked if the game clock would display tenths, sometimes they say yes. Then we ask them if that feature can be defeated (switched off). They say they don’t know how to do that, and have absolutely no interest in fixing the problem, even after we explain to them that this is by RULE. They don’t care. And neither do their governing organizations.
It might be a software issue, but the average CO only knows how to turn the thing on and off, and set the time. The institution would probably have to contact the clock manufacturer to get it fixed. They might be able to direct the institutions’ AV/IT specialist to fix this. But, the game admin and CO ain’t gonna know how to fix this.

[bossman72]

Yep, you heard it from Shaw on how those clocks work..  It's a tough sell to everyone that the game is in fact over when the clock is showing time remaining.  You just have to go with what the clock says.