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514 Questions

Last Answer on January 23, 2021

On a kick off. Receiving player misses the catch, touches the ball on the one yard line and the ball goes into but not out of the end zone. If the player covers it up and is touched by opposing player, is it a safety?

Asked by Steve over 9 years ago

A kick is a kick is a kick. Until it is possessed, it is still a kick. You have a grounded kick in the endzone, touched by R in the field of play. The receiving team must cover it there or bring it out. If it is possessed in the endzone by the receivers and they "take a knee" there, it is a touchback.

745 Votes

Would you say it was hard to get into officiating. I am interested in it at a local level (middle/high school). I am 27 and work a full time job. I don't want to do it for the money. More like a hobby. Do you have any advise on how to get started?

Asked by Kenneth over 9 years ago

It's pretty easy to get in - staying is the hard part. Everybody working high school, college, or even the NFL has another job. When you start out, you may need an understanding boss because there may be JV or freshmen games in the afternoon.

Getting started: you can contact your state's high school athletic governing body and get contact information for the football officials group. That group does the training and registers you with the state so that you are "certified" as a HS official. If you aren't sure what the state body is, contact your local high school athletic director for a phone number.

By the way, it's a good thing you don't want to do it for the money. Even guys working every week in one of the P5 NCAA conferences might make $25,000, before expenses. You don't get rich doing this.

742 Votes

On a kickoff, the ball flys into the endzone and the receiving player muffs the ball but the ball never leaves the endzone and another player from the receiving team recovers the ball in the endzone but his feet are outside the endzone. Safety or T.B

Asked by Nathan ward about 9 years ago

Touchback. It is still a kick since possession wasn't gained until/as the receiver was out of bounds.

742 Votes

I've been a certified high school football referee for about 14 years. Please explain to me, as it relates to college football, who can leave and go down field when a snap for a punt is made. I always thought that only one gunner on each side and t

Asked by Rando over 9 years ago

No restrictions in NCAA rules. If the coach doesn't like his punter, he can have all ten other players take off.

741 Votes

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I saw a touchdown called today where the receiver went out of bounds but whip one foot around and hit the goal marker. The ball didn't "Break the plane". Righteous call or miss.

Asked by John Morris over 9 years ago

There are a lot of possibilities here, so let's look at what you're saying. If the player stepped out of bounds before the ball crossed the plane of the goal line, then yes, it was called a TD in error. However, if the player was outside of the pylon (out of bounds) but the ball stayed inside the pylon when crossing the plane, it is a TD. In your description, the player was out of bounds but he clipped the pylon with a foot - where was the ball? If the player dove at the pylon and struck it with his body even with the ball outside the pylon (the goal line extended), it is a TD.

741 Votes

So if a quarterback goes into his proverbial slide and the defender slaps the ball out of his hand without actually touching the quarterback while he's on the ground would it be a fumble or dead ball?

Asked by Shane snow almost 10 years ago

Dead ball. Might even be consider unsportsmanlike. The beginning of the slide is where the ball gets spotted next, not where the QB ends up. So, in essence the ball and the QB are down at the start of the slide.

739 Votes

QB throws a backwards pass to a receiver who makes a clean catch. The receiver ends up running with the ball and makes it back to the line of scrimmage. For stat purposes, does the receiver get this recorded as a Rush attempt and if not, how is it recorded? This play happened in Super Bowl 50. Cam Newton threw backwards pass to Ted Ginn Jr. and he ended up running with the ball for no gain.

Asked by BB over 9 years ago

Stats are not in the purview of field officials. The official box score from the game does not show Ginn with any rushes so my guess it's a pass for both QB and receiver.

738 Votes

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Football Official

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

On a kick off. Receiving player misses the catch, touches the ball on the one yard line and the ball goes into but not out of the end zone. If the player covers it up and is touched by opposing player, is it a safety?

Would you say it was hard to get into officiating. I am interested in it at a local level (middle/high school). I am 27 and work a full time job. I don't want to do it for the money. More like a hobby. Do you have any advise on how to get started?

On a kickoff, the ball flys into the endzone and the receiving player muffs the ball but the ball never leaves the endzone and another player from the receiving team recovers the ball in the endzone but his feet are outside the endzone. Safety or T.B

I've been a certified high school football referee for about 14 years. Please explain to me, as it relates to college football, who can leave and go down field when a snap for a punt is made. I always thought that only one gunner on each side and t

Also on Jobstr...

I saw a touchdown called today where the receiver went out of bounds but whip one foot around and hit the goal marker. The ball didn't "Break the plane". Righteous call or miss.

So if a quarterback goes into his proverbial slide and the defender slaps the ball out of his hand without actually touching the quarterback while he's on the ground would it be a fumble or dead ball?

Football Official

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

On a kick off. Receiving player misses the catch, touches the ball on the one yard line and the ball goes into but not out of the end zone. If the player covers it up and is touched by opposing player, is it a safety?

Would you say it was hard to get into officiating. I am interested in it at a local level (middle/high school). I am 27 and work a full time job. I don't want to do it for the money. More like a hobby. Do you have any advise on how to get started?

On a kickoff, the ball flys into the endzone and the receiving player muffs the ball but the ball never leaves the endzone and another player from the receiving team recovers the ball in the endzone but his feet are outside the endzone. Safety or T.B

I've been a certified high school football referee for about 14 years. Please explain to me, as it relates to college football, who can leave and go down field when a snap for a punt is made. I always thought that only one gunner on each side and t

Also on Jobstr...

I saw a touchdown called today where the receiver went out of bounds but whip one foot around and hit the goal marker. The ball didn't "Break the plane". Righteous call or miss.

So if a quarterback goes into his proverbial slide and the defender slaps the ball out of his hand without actually touching the quarterback while he's on the ground would it be a fumble or dead ball?

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