SECTION
1 -- KICK-OFFS.
Article 1 - Putting the Ball in Play. The
ball will be placed in play to begin each half and after each touchdown
or field-goal scored by a kick-off that must be a placement kick using
an authorized tee or by the hold of a player who holds the ball in
place on the ground or on an authorized tee except in certain leagues
where a punt is allowed by Rule. Except when modified by
penalty, a kick-off will be made from the kicking-team's 20 yard-line
(80 yard long field) or 35 yard-line (100 yard long field).
Article
2 - The One-Kick Rule and Spot for Subsequent Down.
There is to be only one kick-off allowed on each occasion the ball is
put into play to start a half or after a touchdown or field-goal is
scored.
If a Team A kick-off goes out-of-bounds between the Team B goal-line
and its 25 yard-line before being touched in-bounds by any player on an
80 yard field, the ball for the subsequent down will be spotted at Team
B's 25 yard-line unless that team opts to accept the out-of-bounds
spot. On a field 100 yards in length, a Team A kick-off that
goes out-of-bounds, without being touched by a player, outside the Team
B 35 yard-line is to be spotted for the subsequent down at the 35
yard-line unless Team B opts to accept the out-of-bounds spot.
If on an 80 yard field, a Team A kick-off, without being touched,
leaves the playing surface outside Team A's 25 yard-line, the spot for
the subsequent down shall be that spot the kick left the playing
field. On a field 100 yards in length, a Team A kick-off that
goes out-of-bounds, without being touched by a player, outside the Team
B 35 yard-line is to be spotted for the subsequent down at the
out-of-bounds spot.
Article
3 - Kick-Off Restraining Lines.
Restraining lines for the kicking team on all kick-offs shall be the 20
or 35 yard-line unless modified by penalty. Restraining-line
for the receiving team shall be behind but within five-yards of that
line 20 yards from the kicking-team's restraining line. A
kick-off from Team A's 20 yard-line requires that Team A players remain
behind that yard-line until the kick is made with Team B players set
behind their restraining-line 20 yard distance with the required number
within five-yards of that restraining-line.
Article
4 - On-Side Kicks and Kicking-Team Recovery.
A kick-off or free-kick after a safety can be recovered by the
kicking-team as an
on-side kick when the
following conditions have been met: 1) the kicked ball
travels to or over the receiving-team's restraining-line; and, 2) the
kicked ball hits the ground without being first touched by any
player. If these conditions are met, the team whose player
first touches that kicked ball will gain possession.
SECTION
2 -- PROTECTED SCRIMMAGE KICKS. All leagues
in the Program are to allow a team the right to a protected scrimmage
kick.
Article
1 - Right to the Protected Kick. A protected or
announced or uncontested kick can be made by a team on any down at any
time from any place on the field by making a verbal request from its
team captain of the Referee. Once requested and granted, the
captain's choice is irrevocable except as allowed by the
requesting-team taking a time-out.
Article
2 - Protected Kick Request and Referee Inquiry. A
protected-kick request to a Referee must be made from the team huddle.
If a team does not employ a huddle and makes its protected-kick request
after coming to the line-of-scrimmage, the Referee will delay the onset
of the down until the opponent has been informed of the intent to kick
and allowed to change its player personnel with its players in position
to receive the kick.
OFFICIAL
RULES
RULE
6 KICKS
PAGE 25
During the game after a third-down,
the Referee shall make one verbal inquiry of the team possessing the
ball of its intentions for the fourth down. This verbal request
shall be in the form of a question: "
Do You Want A Protected Kick?"
Article
3 - Team Option of Reply to Referee Inquiry. A team does
not
have to respond to a Referee's verbal inquiry before a
fourth-down. If the team does not immediately respond, the
Referee is to announce that the team will
not
kick for that down. Once announced by the Referee of the team
choice to kick or not to kick; or, once the team has failed to respond
to the Referee inquiry and that official has announced that the team
will
not kick; the
possessing team must follow the dictate announced by the Referee and
either kick or run a scrimmage-play and can only change this
determination by it calling a time-out.
Article
4 - Requirements If Team Wishes to Change Its Intent. A
team can change their first option for a fourth-down play; or, any time
it has opted to seek a protected-kick; or, if it has not responded to a
Referee inquiry so that official has announced that the team will not
kick only by taking a time-out. A team is required to have one of
its time-outs intervene before any option can be changed.
If the team desiring to change an option wishes a time-out and does not
have one remaining, it will be granted the right to change its option
only after receiving a delay penalty with the game-clock halting only
for the imposition of that penalty.
Article
5 - Team Intent Change Following Its Time-Out. A team that
has announced an intent to kick that then assumes a time-out, can
change its intention for the subsequent down and is
not
obligated to inform either the Referee or the opponent of this
change. If the team does notify the Referee, that official shall
inform the opposing team's captains of the possessing team's
intention. But, when a team, after announcing it would kick or
not kick, follows with its time-out, the Referee will not repeat the
initial inquiry as to the team intent and the team can run any play it
desires. In such instances, it is assumed the opponent will
not be
under any restraint as to how it contests that play.
Article 6 - Team Intent Change Following Any Other Time-Out.
The right to change an announced option to kick or not kick applies
only
when Team A assumes one of its time-outs and does
not
apply to any other stoppage in play as from the opponent's or referee
time-out.
Article 7 - Five-Yard Snap Requirement. All kicks
(protected or placement) must be made after the snap is made to a
distance of
five or more yards behind the scrimmage-line.
Article 8 - One-Yard Movement Limit. All kicks (protected
or placement) must be made after the snap is received by the kicker or
holder who is limited in movement to a distance that is not to exceed
one-yard
from the spot where that snap was received.
Article 9 - Five-Second Time Limit. A team has
five-seconds
from the snap of the ball to undertake any protected kick.
Failure to kick the ball
for any
reason will result in the team losing possession.
The five-second limitation is defined that the kick is actually made
within this limitation. Being in the act of starting to kick or
movement into a kicking stance does not fulfill the requirement of this
Rule.
Article 10 - Player Movement Freeze. A kick announcement
by a team freezes player movement for players on both teams.
Players on the kicking-team, once they have assumed their stances for
the down, can
not move for a period
beginning one-second before the snap until the kick is made. No
player on the kicking-team can begin movement downfield until the kick
has been made; and, no player on the receiving-team can cross the
scrimmage-line until the kick has been made; nor can the members of the
receiving-team required to be within five-yards of the scrimmage-line
leave this zone to retreat downfield until the kick has been made.
OFFICIAL
RULES
RULE
6 KICKS
PAGE 26
Article
11 - Kick Formation Requirements.
TEAM A:
Team A players can
not move once they have
assumed set stances for a time-period beginning one-second before the
snap until any kick has been delivered. Especially affected by
this Rule is the snapper who once having passed the ball must remain in
the straddle-position until the kick has clearly been made.
TEAM B:
Team B must have a minimum number of players at or within five-yards of
the scrimmage-line. These players
must remain
within this five-yard zone until the kick
is clearly delivered by Team A. Team B defenders can move
laterally along their side of the neutral-zone but are forbidden to
enter this zone prior to Team A's kick subject to such movement being
an encroachment violation. Team B players are allowed to jump in
an attempt to block Team A's kick but such actions can
not
cause any defender to enter or cross the one-yard deep neutral-zone;
nor, can defenders receive assistance from teammates in their jumping
to block a kick.
Article 12 - Protected Kick Announcement and Loss of Possession Intent.
Once requested and granted, a protected-kick is an announcement the
possessing-team is to
relinquish possession
of the ball on that down. A team
automatically loses possession whether the kick is made or in some way
not
delivered. A bad snap, fumble, muff, or delay violation that
prevents the kick from being made will mean
LOSS-OF-POSSESSION.
In such cases, possession will revert to the opposing team at the
previous spot for the ball on that down or the spot where a misplay
struck the ground.
SECTION
3 -- PLACEMENT KICKS.
Article 1 - Kicking Tee Allowed.
On placement kicks, only a one-inch kicking-tee as allowed by the NCAA
Rules prior to 1991 can be employed. No substitute for such a tee
is allowed and the only way a kick can be delivered without a tee is
directly from the ground.
Article 2 - Snap Distance Requirement. All placement kick
tries if protected must be started with an indirect snap received by
the holder or kicker positioned
at least
five-yards behind the
scrimmage-line.
Article 3 - Kicker Movement Yardage Limit. The kicker on a
placement kick is limited to moving
no more
than five-yards to the
ball for the kick regardless of the angle of approach
Article 4 - Kicking Team Penalty and Replay of Down. Any
violation on a placement kick down will have the Referee signal that
violation but allow the kick to be completed with the offended-team
having an option of the play result or penalty. If the
kicking-team is the offender and the opponent selects a penalty option,
the kicking-team will retain the right to repeat the down. A team
can
not lose its right to a
conversion down when its violation results in a penalty that is
accepted by the opponent. But, a team that asked for and is
granted a protected-kick for a conversion try does
not
gain release from its decision to kick by reason of any penalty
interruption and that team must follow the kick option after a penalty
unless it assumes a time-out that will release it from the requirement
to kick.
Article 5 - Conversion Kick Time-Limit and Space Limits. A
conversion kick attempt must be made under the requirements of the
following Rules: Five-Second Rule, Snap Distance Rule, and, Five
Yard Approach Limit Rule.
Article 6 - Team B Advance of Conversion Try. The
defending-team can
not advance a missed
conversion try. Any turn-over on a conversion try only ends that
down nor can any points be scored by Team B on a Team A conversion kick
try.
OFFICIAL
RULES
RULE
6 KICKS
PAGE 27
SECTION
4 -- RELINQUISHMENT OF RIGHT TO TOUCH-BACK PROTECTION.
Article
1 - Receiving Team Right to Advance the Ball from Behind its
Goal. The
receiving team has the right to try to advance a kick caught behind its
goal-line when one of these conditions exist:
- A kick is received in the
air
after carrying over the goal.
- A kick is caught after
having
hit first before the goal without touching the ground on or behind the
goal-line.
In the above cases, when Team B players under physical control of their
actions do with intent seek to advance the ball over the goal and in
doing so travel
five or more yards, this movement shall end Team B's right to
touch-back protection if it can not advance the ball from behind its
goal. After moving five-yards under body control, the Team B
player must advance the ball out of the end-zone under penalty of the
opponent being awarded a safety.
EXAMPLE:
B11 catches a Team A scrimmage-kick behind the goal and while under
body control by intent seeks to run the ball over the goal but is
deflagged behind the goal by a Team A
player.
RULING:
B11's actions relinquished the team the right to touch-back protection
on the play and the failure to advance the ball over the goal results
in a safety being declared and two-points awarded to Team A.
EXAMPLE:
B32 catches a Team A kick-off behind the goal after it bounced before
the goal and while under body control by intent seeks to run the ball
back onto the playing field but slips and falls to the ground behind
the goal after moving more than five-yards.
RULING:
Team A awarded two-points for a safety as B32's actions
caused Team B the loss of touch-back protection.
SECTION
5 -- UNANNOUNCED AND UNPROTECTED SCRIMMAGE KICKS.
A team may on any down from any place on the field attempt an
unannounced and unprotected or quick-kick but Team B is under no
restraint of their action defending such a play.
NOTE:
An
unprotected punt from behind a team's goal that fails to cross the goal
will result in an automatic safety and two-point award to the
opponent.
SECTION
6 -- OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH A KICK.
Article
1 - Interference with the Right to Catch a Kick.
A kicking-team player is forbidden to interfere with the opportunity of
a receiving-team player to catch a kick. A violation is to be
called whenever a kicking-team player is withing
two-yards
of a player who seeks to receive a kick at the moment that player
touches the kicked-ball or it strikes the ground.
It is
not
a violation for a kicking-team player to touch or catch a
scrimmage-kick when no player on the receiving-team is within
five-yards of the spot where the kick descends.
Article
2 - When Kick Touches Ground On or Behind a Goal-Line.
The ball becomes dead and belongs to the team defending its goal when a
free-kick that is untouched by a Team B player touches or crosses the
Team B goal-line.
SECTION
7 -- FAIR-CATCH.
Article
1 - Illegality of Fair-Catch.
There is
no
fair-catch allowed in Program leagues.
Article
2 - Illegal Use of Fair-Catch Signal.
It shall be illegal for a player to signal a fair-catch and interpreted
as an attempt to deceive. In such violations, the ball is to
be immediately declared dead at the spot of the illegal signal and a 15
yard penalty imposed from that spot on the offending-team.
OFFICIAL
RULES
RULE
6 KICKS
PAGE 28
SECTION
8 -- TRAILING-TEAM RIGHT TO RECEIVE KICK-OFF AFTER SCORE.
A team
that is behind in score by 25 or more points shall enjoy the right to
choose to receive the kick-off after any score except a safety
thereafter and retain this right while it trails by at least this point
total. This right to receive is lost when the trailing-team's
point-deficit is reduced to 24 or fewer points.
EXAMPLE: Team A trails 35-0 when it scores a
touchdown and adds a two-point conversion to reduce its deficit to
35-8. As Team B trails by more than 25 points it can exercise the
right to receive the kick-off even though it was the last team to score.
EXAMPLE: Team A leads by a 46-20 score before Team
B scores and adds two-points on a conversion run. Team B with the
score 48-28 (only 18 points) does not have the right to receive the
ensuing kick-off.
EXAMPLE:
Team A trails in a game by a 42-0 score before scoring a touchdown with
two-point conversion and elects to receive the next kick-off because of
the 25 or more point Rule. Team returns this kick-off for a
touchdown and adds another two-point conversion to bring the score to
42-16. As Team A still trails by more than 25 points and despite
it having just received a kick-off, Team A can again opt to be kicked
to by Team B.
Note: This 25 point Rule does not extend
to a safety being scored. In the case of a safety, the game shall
continue under the Rules governing regular-play.