This is part 5 of a multi-part series that will discuss the rule and case references used to arrive at the correct answers on the multiple choice IHSA Football Exam (PI). The series will run through the final testing day (September 5, 2011) and be comprised of 10 separate articles that will ultimately address all 50 questions in the IHSA test bank. The 5 questions appearing in each individual post will be selected at random. While many of the questions will have a single rule or case reference that can be used to discern the correct answer, some will require the ability to combine and apply multiple rules to arrive at the correct answer.

When page numbers are given after rule references, you can refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Rule Book. When page numbers are given after case plays, please refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Case Book. When unsure if a rule or case play is being referenced, please keep in mind that rules are referenced with dashes (e.g. 1-5-1) and case plays are referenced with dots (e.g. 10.1.2).

Without further ado, let’s get started on the exam questions:

Q49

If the offensive team throws an illegal pass from its end zone or commits any other foul for which the penalty is accepted and measurement is from on or behind its goal line, what is the result?

A. Touchback
B. Safety
C. Touchdown
D. First down for the defense

Rule 8-5-2 (p. 66-67) discusses what constitues a safety.  8-5-2 (c) states the following:

A player on offense commits any foul for which the penalty is accepted and enforcement is from a spot in his end zone; or throws an illegal forward pass from his end zone and the penalty is declined in a situation which leaves him in possession at the spot of the illegal pass and with the ball having been forced into the end zone by the passing team.

Since the offense committed a foul for which the penalty was accepted and its measurement was from on or behind A’s goal line, the result is a safety.

Answer B. Safety

Q10

Team K’s scrimmage kick is rolling inside the 10-yard line. A member of Team K is standing in the end zone and bats the ball back into the field of play (the ball never breaks the plane of the goal line) where it comes to rest at the 3-yard line. The correct ruling on this play is:

A. touchback
B. legal play; Team R will have the ball 1st and 10 at the 3-yard line
C. foul for an illegal bat; the basic spot for this foul is the 20-yard line; 1st and 10 for Team R at the 35-yard line
D. foul for an illegal bat; the basic spot for this foul is the goal line; 1st and 10 for Team R at the 15-yard line

Since the scrimmage kick has been grounded, the answer to this question would be the same regardless of whether or not the kick was a scoring attempt.  The positioning of the K player has no bearing on whether a touchback occurs on this play.  Rule 6-3-1 (a) (p. 54) states the following:

It is a touchback if any free kick or scrimmage kick  Which is not a scoring attempt or which is a grounded three-point fieldgoal attempt, breaks the plane of R’s goal line, unless R chooses a spot of first touching by K.

Since the ball never broke the plane of R’s goal line, a touchback did not occur.

The only other item to consider in this play is whether or not the bat by K was legal.  Rule 9-7-2′s EXCEPTION (p. 72) states that “a K player may bat toward his own goal line a grounded scrimmage kick which is beyond the neutral zone and may also bat toward his own goal line a scrimmage kick in flight beyond the neutral zone, if no R player is in position to catch the ball”.

The bat by K of the grounded scrimmage kick was legal.

Answer B. legal play; Team R will have the ball 1st and 10 at the 3-yard line

Q16

Player R1 muffs a scrimmage kick at the 40-yard line after making a valid fair-catch signal. The kick is near the sideline where K1 attempts to recover, but he muffs it and it goes out of bounds at the 35-yard line. The correct call is:

A. awarded a fair catch; R’s ball at the 40-yard line
B. K was last to touch the ball; K’s ball at the 35-yard line
C. R’s ball at the 35-yard line
D. since no one possessed the ball after the kick, R may choose an awarded fair catch at the 40, or choose to have K rekick

Rule 6-2-7 (p. 54) states that  when any scrimmage kick is out of bounds between the goal lines while no player is in possession the ball is awarded to R.  The rule goes on to state that Following an out-of-bounds kick, the ball is put in play at the inbounds spot unless R chooses a spot of first touching.

There is no spot of first touching by K on this play since R was the first to touch the scrimmage kick. On this play the ball will be placed at the inbounds spot which is the 35-yard line.

Answer C. R’s ball at the 35-yard line

Q24

It is forward pass interference if:

A. contact by Team B is obviously away from the direction of the legal forward pass
B. unavoidable contact occurs when two or more eligible receivers are making a simultaneous, bona fide attempt to move towards, catch, or bat the pass
C. contact by Team A is immediately made on a Team B lineman and the contact does not continue beyond the expanded neutral zone
D. any player hinders an opponent’s vision without making an attempt to catch, intercept or bat the ball, even though no contact was made

Rule 7-5-10 (p. 61) defines forward pass interference.  7-5-10 (b) states:

It is forward-pass interference if  any player hinders an opponent’s vision without making an attempt to catch, intercept or bat the ball, even though no contact was made.

Answer D. any player hinders an opponent’s vision without making an attempt to catch, intercept or bat the ball, even though no contact was made

Q33

The snap ends when:

A. the ball touches the ground
B. the ball touches any player
C. both A and B
D. none of the above

Rule 2-40-3 (p. 37) discusses when the snap ends.  It states that the snap ends when the ball touches the ground of any player.  Since both A & B are true, he answer in this case is C.

Answer C. both A and B

This takes us through 25 of the 50 questions in the IHSA sample bank.  As always if you have any comments or questions regarding the questions covered or simply think I’ve go something wrong, please let me know either via comment or email.

This is part 4 of a multi-part series that will discuss the rule and case references used to arrive at the correct answers on the multiple choice IHSA Football Exam (PI). The series will run through the final testing day (September 5, 2011) and be comprised of 10 separate articles that will ultimately address all 50 questions in the IHSA test bank. The 5 questions appearing in each individual post will be selected at random. While many of the questions will have a single rule or case reference that can be used to discern the correct answer, some will require the ability to combine and apply multiple rules to arrive at the correct answer.

When page numbers are given after rule references, you can refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Rule Book. When page numbers are given after case plays, please refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Case Book. When unsure if a rule or case play is being referenced, please keep in mind that rules are referenced with dashes (e.g. 1-5-1) and case plays are referenced with dots (e.g. 10.1.2).

Without further ado, let’s get started on the exam questions:

Q20

If a team elects to replay a down following an inadvertent whistle, it must do so from the:

A. inbounds spot if the play ended in a side zone
B. dead-ball spot if the ball became dead between the inbounds lines
C. previous spot
D. result of the play, ignoring the inadvertent whistle

The answer to this question seems self evident on its face. If a team is going to replay a down, one would assume they must do so from the previous spot. That said, it came as a surprise to me that I couldn’t find any backing in the rule book for this common sense ruling.

Since the rule book was silent on the issue, I dove into the case book. Case 3-3-3 SITUATION C (p. 20), when discussing the ruling of a play with an inadvertent whistle, states… “the period shall be extended for an untimed down and A may put the ball in play where it lost possession or it may choose to replay the down from the previous spot”.

Answer C. previous spot

Q23

Regarding scrimmage kicks, which of the following statements is false?

A. a kick recovered beyond the neutral zone may only be advanced by Team R
B. a kick recovered in or behind the neutral zone may be advanced by either team
C. a kick not recovered by either team belongs to Team K
D. a kick jointly recovered by R and K belongs to R

Rule 6-2-2 (p. 53) states that any receiver may catch or recover a scrimmage kick in the field of play and advance, unless it is during a try, or unless any R player has given a valid or invalid fair catch signal.  Therefore, A appears to be true.

Rule 6-2-2 (p. 53) combined with Rule 6-2-3 (p. 53) which states that “any K player may catch or recover a scrimmage kick while it is in or behind the neutral zone and advance, unless it is during a try” indicate that B would also be true.

Rule 6-2-7 (p. 54) states that any scrimmage kick that is inbounds anywhere where players are in joint possession is awarded to R.  D is also true.  Further reading of 6-2-7 shows that C is false.  Any ball that becomes dead inbounds between the goal lines with no player in possession is awarded to R.

Answer C. a kick not recovered by either team belongs to Team K

Q37

K1′s kickoff is caught by R1 and returned to R’s 30. While the kick is in flight, R2 blocks K1 below the waist at R’s 40. The penalty is accepted by K. The correct ruling is:

A. K will rekick from R’s 45 and the clock will start on the ready for play signal
B. R’s ball 1st and 10 at R’s 20 and the clock starts on the ready for play signal
C. K will rekick from R’s 45 and the clock will start when the kick is touched other than first touching by K
D. R’s ball 1st and 10 at R’s 30 and the clock starts with the snap

As with any enforcement related question, we must first determine the basic stop to determine from where the penalty should be assessed. This foul occurred during a loose ball play as defined in Rule 2-33 (a) (p. 35). It states, “a loose ball play is action during a free kick or scrimmage kick other than post scrimmage kick fouls”. The basic spot for a loose ball play is the previous spot according to 10-4-2 (b) (p. 76). Since blocking below the waist if a 15 yard penalty that in this case will be assessed from K’s 40 yard line, K will rekick from R’s 45.

We are half way to our answer, but now we must determine the clock status. The case book has a play that addresses this specific question 3.4.2 SITUATION B (p. 23).

K1’s kickoff is caught by R1 and returned to R’s 30. While the kick is in flight, R2 blocks K2 below the waist on R’s 40. RULING: If the penalty is declined, R will have the ball first and 10 on R’s 30. Since the clock is stopped for a new series following a legal kick, the clock will start with the snap. If the penalty is accepted, K will rekick from R’s 45. The clock will start when the kick is touched other than first touching by K. When a free kick down is replayed, the clock will start the same as it does on the original free kick. (3-4-1, 3)

The clock will start when the kick is touches other than first touching by R.

Answer C. K will rekick from R’s 45 and the clock will start when the kick is touched other than first touching by K

Q41

A touchback occurs when:

A. a scrimmage kick ends in Team R’s end zone
B. a free kick breaks Team R’s goal line
C. a three point field goal attempt in flight touches a Team K player in Team R’s end zone
D. all of the above

Rule 6-3 (p. 54) discusses what constitues a touchback.

According to 6-3-1 (a), it is a touchback if any free kick or scrimmage kick which is not a scoring attempt or which is a grounded three-point field-goal attempt breaks the plane of R’s goal line. Based on that definition both A and B are correct.

According to 6-3-1 (b), it is a touchback if any free kick or scrimmage kick with is a three-point field-goal attempt in flight touches a K player in R’s end zone. Answer C is also correct.

Therefore, the answer is all of the above.

Answer D. all of the above

Q3

Team A is attempting a screen pass where A25 will catch the ball five yards behind the line of scrimmage. As A25 is preparing to catch the pass in flight, he is knocked down by defender B40 and the forward pass falls incomplete. The correct call is:

A. nothing; legal play by B40 and pass is incomplete
B. defensive pass interference by B40; penalize 15 yards from the previous spot and award a first down
C. defensive holding by B40; penalize 5 yards from the previous spot and award an automatic first down
D. defensive holding by B40; penalize 10 yards from the previous spot and award a first down

In this case, the most important piece of information is that the forward pass was being thrown to a spot behind the line of scrimmage (LOS). According to Rule 7-5-7 (p. 61), pass interference restrictions apply only beyond the neutral zone and only if the legal forward pass, untouched by B in or behind the neutral zone, crosses the neutral zone; we cannot have defensive pass interference by B40.

In addition to 7-5-7, this concept is mentioned in the Football Fundamentals section of the rule book (p. 81). It states, “a forward-pass interference foul can occur only beyond the neutral zone”.

Furthermore, based on the description B40 did not commit a defensive holding infraction. Nor did he commit any other personal contact foul.

This is a legal play by B40. The pass is simply incomplete.

Answer A. nothing; legal play by B40 and pass is incomplete

This takes us through 20 of the 50 questions in the IHSA sample bank.  As always if you have any comments or questions regarding the questions covered or simply think I’ve go something wrong, please let me know either via comment or email.

This is part 3 of a multi-part series that will discuss the rule and case references used to arrive at the correct answers on the multiple choice IHSA Football Exam (PI). The series will run through the final testing day (September 5, 2011) and be comprised of 10 separate articles that will ultimately address all 50 questions in the IHSA test bank. The 5 questions appearing in each individual post will be selected at random. While many of the questions will have a single rule or case reference that can be used to discern the correct answer, some will require the ability to combine and apply multiple rules to arrive at the correct answer.

When page numbers are given after rule references, you can refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Rule Book. When page numbers are given after case plays, please refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Case Book. When unsure if a rule or case play is being referenced, please keep in mind that rules are referenced with dashes (e.g. 1-5-1) and case plays are referenced with dots (e.g. 10.1.2).

Without further ado, let’s get started on the exam questions:

Q44

Barring exception, at least how many A players must be numbered 50-79 at the snap?

A. 4
B. 5
C. 6
D. 7

Rule 7-2-5 (p. 58) discusses player formation and player numbering requirements. 7-4-5 (b) states that barring exception there must be at least 5 players on the line of scrimmage numbered 50-79 at the snap.

Answer B. 5

Q22

Team K punts on 4th and 8 from its 30-yard line. K1 attempts to down the kick, but his touching at R’s 32 only slows the ball down. The ball is then picked up by R1 who advances to R’s 45-yard line where he fumbles and K2 recovers and is immediately downed. The correct ruling is:

A. K’s ball, 1st and 10 from R’s 45.
B. R’s ball, 1st and 10 from R’s 32.
C. K’s ball, 1st and 10 from the previous spot.
D. R’s ball, 1st and 10 from R’s 45.

Rule 6-2-5 (p. 54) discusses first touching of the kick by K.  The rule states the following:

When any K player touches a scrimmage kick beyond the expanded neutral zone to R’s goal line before it is touched beyond the neutral zone by R and before the ball has come to rest, it is referred to as “first touching of the kick” and the place is the “spot of first touching.” Such touching is ignored if it is caused by R pushing or blocking K into contact with the ball.

If any K player touches a scrimmage kick in this manner, R may take the ball at the spot of first touching, or any spot if there is more than one spot of first touching, or they may choose to have the ball put in play as determined by the action which follows first touching. The right of R to take the ball at spot of first touching by K is canceled if R touches the kick and thereafter during the down commits a foul or if the penalty is accepted for any foul committed during the down.

Under this scenario, K touched the scrimmage kick beyond the expanded neutral zone so first touching of the kick occurred and a spot of first touching at R’s 32 yard line has been established. Since R did not commit a foul after touching the kick and no penalty was accepted for a foul that occurred during the down, R retains the right to take the ball at the spot of first touching or they may elect to put the ball in play as a determined by the action following the first touching.

Since K does have the option to take the ball at the spot or first touching or to put the ball in play as determined by the action following the first touching, I would argue that both A (K’s ball, 1st and 10 from R’s 45) and B (R’s ball, 1st and 10 from R’s 32) are correct rulings depending on the election made by R.

While it is highly unlikely that R would elect to put the ball play as determined by the action following the first touching (thereby giving the ball back to K), they would be well within their right to do so.

When a question has two “technically” correct answers, one must attempt to discern what knowledge the test creator(s) are trying to measure.  It is my belief that the creator(s) are trying to ensure that officials know that the right of R to take the ball at the spot of first touching, barring the previous exemptions, is absolute.

Therefore, the most correct answer has to be R’s ball, 1st and 10 from R’s 32.

Answer B. R’s ball, 1st and 10 from R’s 32.

Q35

Batting is intentionally slapping or striking the ball with (sic)

A. with the helmet.
B. with the arm or hand.
C. with the arm or hand or leg.
D. any part of the player’s body.

Batting is defined in Rule 2-2 (p. 24).  It is defined as “intentionally slapping or striking the ball with the arm or hand”.

Answer B. with the arm or hand.

Q7

Runner A20 is tackled for a five yard gain on a play where B99 commits a personal foul 15 yards beyond the neutral zone. The correct penalty enforcement is:

A. penalize from the basic spot; in this case, it is the spot where the personal foul was committed.
B. penalize from the basic spot; in this case, it is from the end of the run.
C. Team A gets the option of enforcing the penalty from the end of run or the spot of the foul.
D. penalize 15 yards from the previous spot.

This question is testing your knowledge of penalty enforcements.

Since the foul on this play does not require special enforcement (Rule 10-5) nor does it require all-but-one enforcement (Rule 10-6), we must determine the basic spot prior to enforcing the penalty.  The basic spot is determined by the action that occurred during the down. Since this is a running play as defined in Rule 10-3-2 (p. 76), the basic spot is the end of the run according to Rule 10-4-4 (p. 76).

Answer B. penalize from the basic spot; in this case, it is from the end of the run.

Q13

An illegal fair-catch signal is any signal by a runner:

A. after the kick has touched the ground.
B. after the kick has been caught or recovered.
C. prior to the ball being kicked.
D. while the kick is in flight.

Rule 2-9 (p. 27) discusses the various aspects of a fair catch.  2-9-5 details the circumstances under which a runner can give an illegal fair catch signal.  An illegal fair catch signal by the runner is any signal that is given after the kick has been caught or recovered.

Answer B. after the kick has been caught or recovered.

This takes us through 15 of the 50 questions in the IHSA sample bank.  As always if you have any comments or questions regarding the questions covered or simply think I’ve go something wrong, please let me know either via comment or email.

Quite a bit going on during this play (courtesy of some ill-advised Tim Tebow improvisation). Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Danny McCray.

The officials did a great job of staying on top of the action and flagging the infractions that needed to be flagged according to NFL rules. In no particular order, the fouls by offense were an illegal forward pass (0:17), an ineligible receiver down field (0:17) and an illegal block in the back (0:19).

Terry McAulay did a good job of announcing the fouls with the help of his off-camera crew mates (young officials take note).

Plays like this can unfortunately give lower level officials fits. Those fits will have nothing to do with covering the action, though. This play does a great job of highlighting a couple of the rule differences between the National Football League (NFL) and National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) rule sets.

If this play were to occur on any given Friday night in a high school game played under NFHS rules, there is a high probability that there will only be 5 guys in the stadium that know the differences between the codes and how to properly apply them. However, people in attendance will be convinced that the officials don’t know what they’re doing when the dust settles and there is (hopefully) only one flag on the ground. There will be cries of “homerism”, incompetence, and much much worse.

There’s no escaping the uninformed, though; ignoring them is just part of the job.

So without further ado, let’s dissect the various fouls that were called on this play and discuss the NFHS rules apply to the action on the field.

Illegal Forward Pass

Surprisingly, Tim Tebow’s (#15) pass would have been a legal forward pass according the NFHS rules.  NFHS Rule 7-5-1 defines a legal forward pass:

It is a legal forward pass, if during a scrimmage down and before team possession has changed, a player of A throws the ball with both feet of the passer in or behind the neutral zone when the ball is released. Only one forward pass may be thrown during a down.

Under NFHS rules, the only restriction is that the passers feet must both be in or behind the neutral zone when the ball is released.  There is no restriction on crossing the neutral zone and returning behind it to throw a legal forward pass.

Ineligible Downfield

If this game were being played under NFHS rules, Manny Rameriez (#65) would have been legally downfield.  NFHS Rule 7-5-12 discusses ineligible players illegally down field:

Ineligible A players may not advance beyond the expanded neutral zone on a legal forward pass play before a legal forward pass that crosses the neutral zone is in flight.

While this was a legal forward pass under NFHS rules, it did not cross the neutral zone in flight.  The ball was snapped at the 14 and the receiver caught the ball two yards behind the line of scrimmage at the 16.  In this case, there simply would not have been any restrictions on team A’s ineligibles.

Illegal Block in the Back

The block by Julius Thomas (#80) was simply illegal in all rule sets.  Rule 9-3-5 discusses clipping and illegal blocking in the back:

A player shall not clip or block an opponent in the back except:

a. In the free blocking zone when the contact meets the requirements of 2-17
b. Using hands and arms to contact an opponent above the waist in warding off a blocker, or when attempting to reach a runner, or catch or recover a loose ball which he may legally touch or possess.
c. To tackle a runner of player

This call was a “no brainer” at any level.  Mr. Thomas should know better.

I have a feeling that this would have been called a third way in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) game, but don’t presently have time to parse that rule set.  We’ll leave that analysis for another day.

This is part 2 of a multi-part series that will discuss the rule and case references used to arrive at the correct answers on the multiple choice IHSA Football Exam (PI). The series will run through the final testing day (September 5, 2011) and be comprised of 10 separate articles that will ultimately address all 50 questions in the IHSA test bank. The 5 questions appearing in each individual post will be selected at random. While many of the questions will have a single rule or case reference that can be used to discern the correct answer, some will require the ability to combine and apply multiple rules to arrive at the correct answer.

When page numbers are given after rule references, you can refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Rule Book. When page numbers are given after case plays, please refer to the corresponding pages in the 2011 NFHS Football Case Book. When unsure if a rule or case play is being referenced, please keep in mind that rules are referenced with dashes (e.g. 1-5-1) and case plays are referenced with dots (e.g. 10.1.2).

Without further ado, let’s get started on the exam questions:

Q38

K1′s punt on 4th and 10 is from his own 20 yard line. The kick is high and short. R1 gives a valid (fair catch) signal beyond the neutral zone and muffs the kick. The ball rebounds behind the neutral zone where K1 recovers the ball at his 15 yard line and advances to his 18 yard line. The correct ruling is:

A. K may not advance a muff by R; K’s ball 1st and 10 at K’s 15 yard line.
B. legal advance by K1; K’s ball 1st and 10 from their 18 yard line.
C. K relinquished possession by kicking on fourth down; R’s ball 1st and 10 from K’s 18 yard line.
D. legal advance by K1, but he did not reach the line to gain (LTG); R’s ball 1st and 10 from K’s 18 yard line.

This is one of the more complicated questions on the exam. It has quite a bit of action and tests several knowledge areas that may or may not come into play including, but not limited to, when a kick ends, who can advance scrimmage kicks muffed by R, advancement of scrimmage kicks recovered behind the line of scrimmage (LOS), achievement of the LTG, who is awarded a new series when the down ends, etc.

First, we need to decide if the advance by K was legal.

Rule 6-2-3 (p. 53) states that any K player may catch or recover a scrimmage kick (that is not a try) and advance if the scrimmage kick is caught or recovered while it is in or behind the neutral zone.

Rule 6-2-4 (p. 53-54) states that any K player may catch or recover a scrimmage kick while it is beyond the neutral zone or neutral zone expanded provided that the kick has been touched by a receiver who was clearly beyond the neutral zone at the time of touching (provided that the receiver was not pushed or blocked into the ball and that the ball was not legally batted or muffed into R). A recovery by R in this situation results in a dead ball.

In this situation you have a kick beyond the LOS, that was muffed by R. The muffed ball was recovered by K behind the LOS and advanced.

Which rule applies? The comment added to 6.2.3 SITUATION A (p. 42) makes the answer crystal clear.

The right of the K to advance their recovered scrimmage kick depends entirely upon whether the kick is recovered in, behind or beyond the neutral zone. The fact that the kick went beyond the neutral zone and then rebounded behind it is of no consequence. If the recovery is in or behind the neutral zone, K may advance.

Next, we need to determine who will be awarded a new series.

Rule 5-1-3 (p. 49) discusses who a new series is awarded to when a scrimmage down end with the ball in the field of play or out of bounds between the goal lines. 5-1-3 (f) says that the team in possession at the end of the down will be awarded a new series if R is the first to touch a scrimmage kick while it is beyond the expanded neutral zone, unless the penalty is accepted for a non post-scrimmage kick fouled which occurred before the kick ended or unless 6-2-7 applies.

Rule 6-2-7 (p. 54) discusses scrimmage kicks that become dead in bounds with no one in possession, kicks that go out of bounds between the goal lines and kicks that are jointly possessed in the field of play.

Since no non post-scrimmage kick penalty was accepted and 6-2-7 does not apply, the team in possession at the end of the down (K

Answer B. legal advance by K1; K’s ball 1st and 10 from their 18 yard line.

Q50

How far outside the sideline opposite the press box must the official line-to-gain and down indicators be operated, unless space does not permit?

A. 2 yards.
B. 3 yards.
C. 4 yards.
D. 5 yards.

Rule 1-3-5 (p. 15-16) discusses the required line-to-gain equipment and down indicator.  1-3-5 (b) states that the official line-to-gain and down indicators shall be operated approximately 2 yards outside the sideline opposite the press box, except in stadiums where the total playing enclosure does not permit.

Answer A. 2 yards.

 Q1

A varsity game is tied at the end of regulation. Team A used all 3 timeouts during the second half while Team B used no time outs during the second half. Which of the following statements is correct regarding the number of timeouts each team has as the game moves to the first overtime period?

A. team A has no time outs and team B has 3 time outs.
B. team A has 1 timeout and team B has 4 time outs.
C. team A has 1 timeout and team B has 1 time out.
D. team A has 3 timeouts and team B has 6 time outs.

Rule 3-5-1 (p. 42) discusses charged time outs and when they can be used.  It states that unused timeouts cannot be carried over.  Unused first half timeouts cannot be used in the second half and unused second half time outs can not be used in overtime.  Whether or not a team used its allotted second half time outs is of no consequence.

So how many timeouts does each team get?

The note in Rule 3-1-1 (p. 38) tells us to look in the supplementary section of the rule book for an example of an overtime procedure (which is used by the IHSA).  On page 91 of the supplementary section, begins a section on resolving tied games.  Under the listing for 3-5-1 the section states, “each team shall be permitted one time-out during each overtime period (a series for A and a series for B)”.

Answer C. team A has 1 timeout and team B has 1 time out.

Q14

At the time of the snap a defensive player is considered on his line of scrimmage when he is within:

A. 1 foot of the line of scrimmage.
B. 2 feet of the line of scrimmage.
C. 1 yard of the line of scrimmage.
D. 2 yards of the line of scrimmage.

Rule 2-25 (p. 32) discusses the line of scrimmage.  2-25-3 specifically addresses defensive players on the line of scrimmage by stating, “a defensive player is on the line of scrimmage when he is within 1 yard of his scrimmage line at the snap”.

Answer C. 1 yard of the line of scrimmage.

Q29

Team boxes shall be marked on each side of the field outside the coaches’ area between:

A. the 20 yard lines.
B. the 25 yard lines.
C. the 30 yard lines.
D. the 35 yard lines.

Rule 1-2-3 (p. 12-13) discusses lines and other markings on the football field.  1-2-3 (g) discusses the team boxes specifically and states, “team boxes shall be marked on each side of the field outside the coaches’ area between the 25 yard lines for use by coaches, substitutes, athletic trainers, etc., affiliate with the team”.

Answer B. the 25 yard lines.

This takes us through 10 of the 50 questions in the IHSA sample bank.  As always if you have any comments or questions regarding the questions covered or simply think I’ve go something wrong, please let me know either via comment or email.