SECTION
1 -- A SERIES OF DOWNS
Article 1 - A Down as a Unit. A
down is a unit of a game which starts with a snap of the ball for a
scrimmage-play or protected-kick, and ends when the ball becomes
dead. Betweendowns is any period of time whe the ball is dead.
Article
2 - Series of Downs. A
team, in possession of the ball, shall have four consecutive downs to
advance the ball, as allowed by Rule in scrimmage plays, to or beyond
the line-to-gain of the next zone. Any down may be repeated
as provided by Rule. In some leagues, because of special Rule
applications and requirements to be met by a team in each series of
downs, the provision of automatic renewal of possession by advance in
zones of the ball within four-downs is
not
automatic if all Rule provisions are
not
met.
SECTION
2 -- ZONES TO GAIN.
Article
1 - Zone Line to Gain.
The line to gain in any
series of downs shall be the zone in advance of the ball, unless
distance has been lost due to penalty or failure to gain. In
such cases, the original zone in advance of the ball at the beginning
of a series of downs shall be the line-to-gain.
Article
2 - Marking the Zone to Gain and Marking the Down in a Series.
A set of ground-arrows will be deployed with a down-box on the
home-team sideline and staffed on a continuing basis by two
sideline-assistants supplied by that home-team during the course of an
entire game. One ground-arrow will be placed at the spot
where a series of downs was begun and remain unmoved for that series of
downs. The second ground-arrow will be placed at the sideline
intersection of the yard-line that marks the start of the next zone in
advance of the first ground-arrow and will remain unmoved for the
duration of the series of downs. The down-box will be moved
as directed by the Head Linesman to follow the progress of the ball in
a down series and maintain a current and correct visible record of the
down then played.
Failure by the home-team to have sideline assistants fully and properly
vested before each half or at any time during the game; failure to
promptly man the down-box or ground-arrows; unauthorized movement of
the down-box or ground-arrows without direction of game referees; and,
any attempt to change the location of any sideline arrow or down-box to
influence game play is subject to warning, an escalating pattern of
delay penalties and possible forfeit of the game.
Article
3 - Measurement of Distance. The
most forward point of the ball when declared dead between the
goal-lines, and after it has been adjusted by the game officials so its
length axis is set parallel to the sidelines and at a right-angle to a
yard-line, shall be the determining point in establishing distance
gained or lost on a down. When a question exists as to the
accuracy of field-lines, the referee may measure by stride the
appropriate distances between the spot where a down series began and
the spot the ball was advanced with such physical measurement to be
final.
Article
4 - Awarding a New Series of Downs. A
new series of downs shall be awarded a team when it has moved the ball
into the next zone of play or beyond this zone, met all Rule
requirements if the league in question has special participatory
requirements, and, done so without penalty.
Team
A will receive a new series of downs when Team B fouls or violations
carry penalties of 10 or more yards regardless of the yardage faced in
a series of downs, or, when Team B is guilty of any pass-interference
no matter the yardage faced by Team A in the down series.
SECTION
3 -- DOWN AND POSSESSION AFTER A PENALTY.
No Rule decision shall be changed by the referees after the ball is
legally snapped or kicked for a following down. All current
NCAA Rule provisions apply on down and possession after a penalty.